Persona X
by Lilac Papillon
Summary: It is 2016, and a new face arrives in a new country, where his new life begins. However, as he makes new friends and foes, he realizes in time that their faces may be shrouded with many masks. Time, however, is not on his side. Game start. -Collab/OC fic-
1. A New Beginning

_**Author's Notes:**__**  
**_  
_Xin Fyrrae:_ _Hello there, this is a collaboration OC/AU fanfic with my friend KingHiro that takes place shortly after Persona 4. If OC/AU-fics bother you, then this may not be the story for you. Other than that, this is both our first times writing in this fandom and in this style, so we're open to comments and criticism. Thank you for taking the time to read Persona X, and enjoy!  
__KingHiro: __All I could say is enjoy this story made by me and Xin Fyrrae._

_**Disclaimer: **__The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
Chapter 1: A New Beginning**_

* * *

_**September 17, 2016  
????**_

_Subete no hito no damano shi..._

He blinked. Those words being hummed softly sounded very ffamiliar to him, probably because he understood what they meant. It sounded like it was being played delicately by a piano in the distance. When he ignored the senses of hearing and focused more on the senses of seeing, the music was the least important thing that came to mind in place of the current aeroplane cabin covered in nothing but blue velvet.

There was a strange, elderly man sitting across from him rather contently. He appeared to be wearing very formal clothing, consisting of a dark suit with a black tie wrapped around the collar of a white shirt, and his gloved hands were relaxing on a cane placed between his lounging legs. His nose was very long and rather pointy, as were his ears. His eyes bulged out and looked rather strained and large, as though he was wearing glasses, but it appeared to be the real size of his eyes.

Sitting in the aeroplane chair next to him was a bespectacled, brown-eyed woman wearing an indigo blazer over a white blouse and a black vest. There was a round, smooth sapphire studded with pearls clipped to the blouse's ascot. A notched, dark skirt covered half of her thighs, and she wore grey stockings and black heeled shoes. There were black gloves on each of her hands, and two pink roses sparkled on her earlobes. Upon closer inspection, her long, straight red hair had dark brown roots, indicating dye, and clashed with the blue of her outfit.

The music returned to his ears as he looked around the rest of the room, realizing that he was sitting down just from across them in his own seat. He noted that the woman seemed to relax under the music, and was most likely the one who had sung those words he had recognized earlier. Still, he could not take his eyes off the man and the woman sitting from across his own, observing him as though they expected his presence.

_What the hell is going on...?_

The strange man raised an eyebrow at him, before he gave a strange smile – it was almost a mix of a smirk, a frown, as though he had tasted something bitter. Then without a single other movement other than his lips moving said five words:

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

* * * * * * * *

_**September 17, 2016  
International Airlines Flights, Flight 13**_

"_Onii-chan! Onii-chan!"_

The boy pushed away the arm shaking his own and bolted up from his seat, wide-eyed and looking very discombobulated. He blinked as he looked face-to-face with a small girl, wearing two ribbons in her dark hair and holding a large stuffed toy in her arms. She looked up at him with sparkling brown eyes, looking very enthusiastic contrast to the boy's current mood.

The boy looked at her, still unsure of what was going on, before he leaned back in his seat with a groan. _What a strange dream, _he thought groggily as he placed a hand to his head, brushing a few bangs away from his face before running it back through spikes of black hair. He straightened out the white T-shirt he wore and placed on the red jacket over him – it was starting to get cold. He looked down at the girl uncertainly. _"What is it?" _he mumbled, his body stiff and sore from sleeping on the aeroplane chair.

The girl tugged at his sleeve again and pointed out the window of the plane. "We're here, _onii-chan!" _she chirped happily, before she squinted at the brochure that was on her older brother's laps, trying hard to read the foreign letters. "'Ka-na-da?'" she pronounced awkwardly.

The boy chuckled, ruffling the hair of his younger sister. "Close," he replied, and looked out the window upon the urban city. There it was – the tall skyscraper that marked downtown, along with more buildings, and very nice houses that crowded the area. He glanced out with eager eyes towards that saddle-shaped building he remembered from years ago – sure enough, it was still there, looking as though any person could go on top to try and skateboard on it. _"Imouto," _he said affectionately. _"We're finally here." _

"_Oi, oi, don't forget about me, onii-chan!" _a male voice as young as the girl's cried out, and the older boy turned to see a younger one, who had the same dark hair and eyes as his sister's, as well as many of the same facial features. He pouted as he sat back in his seat and buckled up. _"It took forever just to get to Calgary Cancun."_

"_Calgary Canada, Akira," _the older boy corrected, still looking down upon the city with amazement and intrigue. _"At least Ai knows where we're going."_

"_Yeah, Akira!" _the girl called Ai retorted, beaming proudly at her knowledge. She pretended that the animal in her hands was talking as she held it in front of her other brother and moved its arms. _"We're going to North America, and Cancun is a place in South America because it's lower in America! Right, onii-chan?"_

"_Idiot!" _Akira snapped. _"That isn't right all, North America and South America are two different places! Why don't they call the United States of America Middle America then?"_

"_Calm down, you two," _the older brother lectured lightly, turning back to them. _"We want to put on our best behaviour for our uncle and aunt, and you and your double better not drive them crazy."_

This caused the two children's eyes to widen as they gasped, looking very offended, and pursed their lips as they folded their arms and looked away from their brother. _"Hiro-nii-chan, how many times did we tell you?" _Akira huffed. _"Despite us being twins, we are two different people!"_

Ai sniffed. _"Do you really think that I am like Akira, onii-chan?" _she pouted. _"I thought you thought better of me."_

The boy called Hiro sweatdropped, and he chuckled nervous as he rubbed the back of his head with a hand. He unplugged the cord attached to one of the seat speakers that connected to a headset around his neck – the object had a sleek design of black, red, and gold, and it was something he had gotten used to carrying around his neck wherever he went.

The plane finally landed smoothly on the ground, and everyone on board gave a round of applause. _"Onii-chan, why do they do that?" _Ai asked, grabbing a pink and white backpack from under the seat in front of her.

"_It's because we landed without any shaking, duh," _Akira huffed, slinging his own red and black backpack over his shoulder.

"_Was I asking you, jerk?"_

"_Alright, come on, you two," _Hiro said, grabbing their carry-on bags from the luggage container. He handed Ai one, Akira another, and grabbed the last one, extending the handle of the roll-on. _"Uncle and aunt said that they would meet us down at the baggage pick-up in Terminal 8. We have to hurry."_

Hiro and his siblings hurry towards their destination to meet up with their uncle and aunt for the first time in a long while. _"Onii-chan, where are they? I don't see them," _Ai murmured as Akira struggled to haul her luggage off the conveyor belts.

"_What did you put in here, Ai?!" _he groaned.

Ai looked at him irritably. "_I brought all the necessary things to live in Kanda," _she huffed.

"_That's from that stupid anime you watch!"_

"_It's not stupid!"_

Ai and Akira begin again to start a sibling quarrel. While they were doing that, Hiro was looking around to spot his uncle Eric and his aunt Luna. He nearly missed one of their important big luggage bags on a conveyor belt, and quickly reached for it. _"Will you two help me out here?!"_ he scolded, tugging hard.

The bag slipped off, and Hiro nearly fell over, if not for somebody catching him.

"Hey, who look grew up!" a voice said from behind him.

Hiro immediately recognized that voice. He turned right around to face a man believed to be in his thirties, with brown eyes that were clear to see after noticing he had a brown ponytail. The man wore a loosely-buttoned striped dress shirt and a brown jacket, and had a wide smile on his face that was like looking at a little boy's. "Recognize me?" the man asked.

Hiro had a smile on his face as he stood back up straight and shook the hand of the man in front of him. "Hey, uncle Eric!" he said.

Ai and Akira stopped arguing and looked up at the strange guy in awe. Eric turned to look at them and blinked. "Oh, are these little Ai and Akira?" he questioned.

The twins hid behind Hiro. Hiro chuckled – they were still too shy at this age, and might still be frightened by him. "Yeah." He glanced behind him. _"It's alright, this is our uncle Eric Johnson."_

Akira blinked and looked towards him. _"But how can he be our uncle?" _he wondered.

Ai also blinked and looked towards him. _"He's Cambodian."_

Hiro sweatdropped. "Canadian." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that, uncle, they are a bit shy of you."

"Ha, kinda like you when I first saw you," Eric teased, and bent down to the twins' eye level. "Uhh, konnichiwa." He pointed at himself. "Uncle Eric." He pointed back at them. "Niece and nephew."

The two looked at them for a while, before Akira looked up at Hiro. _"He tries too hard..." _he commented dryly.

"_Don't be rude, idiot, he is trying just for us!"_ Ai snapped.

Akira just stared at her. Then, he looked back at his uncle and raised a hand. "Hey, was sup," he panned. "It is nice to meetchu, yo."

"_Akira, TV English isn't really the same as normal English..."_ Hiro hissed as he placed a hand over his head.

"_Well, I'm trying too!"_

Uncle Eric suddenly burst out laughing. Hiro and his siblings began to stare at him, wonder what was so funny. Finally, Eric began to stop laughing. "You know, Akira, you did what your big bro did when he first got here," he smirked.

Hiro and Akira flushed a bit, and Ai giggled. "Hey, I never spoke like that when you got here!" he shot back.

"No, you didn't speak like _that,_ but you actually spoke like _this_." The man put on a faux tough face as he tried to mimic a younger Hiro. "Ummm h-he-heeey wha – wh – whaaaatsu up – ups?"

Akira and Ai began to giggle at this and Hiro began to flush even more. Eric's smirk softened. "But, you know, not only have you grown taller and bigger, but your English has gotten amazingly better from last time."

Hiro smiled humbly. "I had a good teacher back at home, thank you," he replied.

"I take it Ai and Akira have learned under him too? How good can they understand English?"

"Yeah, you are right, and they can understand it pretty well," Hiro said, and turned back to look at the two.

"_I'm telling you, it's pronounced Kanadia!"_ Akira lectured towards a stubborn Ai.

"_No, it's Cascada!"_

"_What?! Come on! Where did you get the _su _from?!"_

"_It sounds more closer than yours!"_

"_Does not!"_

"_Does so?"_

Again Hiro and now Eric sweatdropped with the situation of another sibling quarrel between Ai and Akira. "Oh!" Hiro gasped. He looked around. "Uncle, where's aunt Luna?"

Eric grinned. "Oh yeah, she's waiting in the car until I get back with you guys."

"We should hurry up, then," his nephew exclaimed as he loaded their luggage onto two metal carts. "Oi, Ai, Akira, we're going to see aunt Luna now, get your stuff!"

"Ah, not a problem," Eric said. He grabbed Ai and Akira's luggage and pulled it along with the other cart. "I can do that."

Ai stopped quarrelling to look up at him with an astonished look. "Oh, sankyuu!" she said, and gave him a very cute, happy smile.

Akira rolled his eyes. _"Innocent smile my – "_

Ai quickly hit him on the head, and went back smiling again so innocently.

* * * * * * * *

_**September 17, 2016  
International Airlines Airport**_

Finally Hiro, his sister and brother, and their Canadian uncle got outside to see what looked like a silver Honda Civic. A Japanese woman with long black hair stepped out of the shotgun seat, wearing a long white coat and black pants and shoes. Her dark eyes widened when she saw them approach. "H-Hiro!" she gasped. "Is that really you?"

Hiro gave a warm smile; it was good to see his father's sister again. "Yes, aunt Luna, it's me!" he called.

Aunt Luna came running at him to give a big warming hug to Hiro, with all her strength. It almost sounded like she was breaking Hiro's bones as Hiro gave a strangled sound as his eyes popped wide open. "Oh my, you grew up so well!" she practically squealed as Eric began loading the luggage into the trunk.

She opened her eyes, and caught sight of Ai and Akira. Ai looked happy to see a female. Akira, however, looked the opposite as he took a step back. The woman suddenly had a twinkle in her eye as she stared at her niece and nephew.

She quickly let go of Hiro from the hug. He fell to the ground and began to grumble about his back as she looked towards the twins. Ai and Akira began to get frightened after they realized how much this looked like a wolf preying on its meat. _"Ai..." _Akira started, taking another step back. _"Get ready to run to safety..."_

The twinkle reappeared in the woman's eyes. _"You know I can still understand my native language..."_ Luna drawled as she raised her arms.

Ai and Akira looked again at their aunt's eyes. They were about to bolt, until...

Suddenly, Eric dashed from the now empty metal cart near the trunk, swooped the woman up, and dipped her. "Ahh, just looking at your love and affection for your dear family makes me want to love you even more, dear," he purred with a sly smile.

Luna turned pink as she giggled. "Oh, Eric-bear," she sighed.

Luna and Eric began to sweet talk one another while Hiro, Akira and Ai began to sweatdrop at their aunt and uncle's affection to one another. _"It's kind of sweet..." _Ai murmured. She held onto Hiro's hand and looked up at him with a smile. _"Onii-chan, can we go now? I'm sleepy."_

Akira huffed. _"I can stay up all I can, I want to see that big saddle thing Hiro was talking about, and and the Celery Tower!"_ he cried enthusiastically as he pumped his fists in the air.

At that moment, he began to yawn as he stretched his arms out even more. Eric and Luna immediately noticed this. "Oh, we should probably get home soon," Eric said. He closed the trunk and opened the car doors for them. "Hiro, you can ride shotgun, you're a little tall for the back anyway."

Akira's eyes widenened. "Sh - SHOTGUN?!" he yelled. He began to hide behind Hiro, as though to protect himself.

Eric and Luna exchanged glances, before both burst out laughing. "Hiro, he's exactly like you were as a kid," their uncle wheezed.

Luna chuckled as she got in the back. "Yep!"

Hiro rolled his eyes with a smirk. _"Akira, there is nothing to being afraid of, there is no shotgun, it's just the phrase of sitting in the front next to the driver's seat,"_ he explained.

Akira and Ai gave a relieved sigh in unison. Ai's eyes clouded over. _"I don't want you to leave us alone, onii-chan..." _she mumbled.

Akira nodded slowly. _"Y – yeah..."_

Hiro turned to face them, and placed his hand on each one of their shoulders. Luna noticed this, but did not say anything as she looked away briefly for a moment, almost in remembrance, before she put on a smile as she tapped the back seat. "Come on now, the faster we get home the quicker you can all get some rest," she said.

Ai and Akira turned away from their big brother to look towards Luna. Luna gave a comforting smile to them. _"Don't worry, I'm not going to bite,"_ she added for extra reassurance.

Ai seems convinced as she nodded and jumped to sit next to her. Akira, however, was still a bit wary of her as he scooched in slowly next to his sister, watching his aunt carefully. "C'mon, Hiro, hurry up and climb in the shotgun," Eric said as he got in the driver's seat.

Ai and Akira twitched again. Luna sighed. "We may need to find a new name for it, dear..."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Fine, hurry up and get in the London's driver's seat."

Hiro just sweatdropped at the name – for one good reason, it sounded out of place. "Get in the car next to me, please," Eric sighed with a surrendering, half-lidded look towards his nephew.

"Okay," Hiro quickly responded, climbing in the car and fastening his seatbelt right away.

Eric couldn't help but smirk – his English improved, but as long as Hiro was around him, he'd have to teach Hiro how to butcher it more to his tastes. "Alright, let's go," he announced, and he drove the car out of the airport.

_**September 17, 2016  
Downtown Calgary**_

They arrived in downtown of the city pretty shortly. "As you can see, the buildings got a little sleeker, more glossy too, but they're still as big as ever," Eric told Hiro as he drove down the very industrious structures. "Alberta is pretty much the heart of Canada's economy right now, and in Calgary, a majority of us work in a lot of business jobs."

Ai and Akira looked around in rapt interest. _"It's sort of like the districts, onii-chan!" _Ai pointed out.

Eric chuckled as he gestured towards a large skyscraper needle. "Now this I think Akira mentioned earlier..." he remarked.

The male twin let out an amazed gasp. _"USO!"_Akira marvelled,looking up at it with wide eyes. _"I thought it would be only like the radio towers!"_

Hiro chuckled as well. "The Yokohama Landmark was taller than this though," he reminded his younger brother.

Akira smiled widely. _"Yeah, but this is like a needle!" _he replied. _"It was like that one you saw at Shuttle!"_

Luna giggled at Akira's mispronunciation of the United States place. "We'll probably get to go to it some time later on," she told them as they drove by some smaller chain stores.

Eric nodded as he continued to drive. "By the way, are any of you hungry?" he asked.

A stomach suddenly grumbled loudly. Ai blushed and Akira snickered. Luna laughed. "Looks like we can stop somewhere to eat, then," she concluded.

* * * * * * * *

_**September 17, 2016  
Red Oak Circle, Northwest Calgary**_

After they ate out at a fast-food restaurant (Hiro did not remember the food at that place being as greasy as it was now) and filled their stomachs, they finally returned back to their home at around evening's peak. Hiro, Ai and Akira marvelled at the neighbourhood. "This is Red Oak Circle," Eric explained. "We just got a house here two years ago."

Luna nodded. "The mortgage is still going to take us about six or so years to pay off, but I love it," she beamed.

Hiro nodded – he could see why, this neighbourhood looked really nice and peaceful. Every house had a lawn and was spaced out pretty evenly, and there were pine trees and nice gardens in front of most of these homes. "This is a developing neighbourhood too, so it's still pretty new," he said as he drove past a field with a small pond, a bench, and a little park.

At last, the car turned into a cul-de-sac. "Here we are, the Johnson Residence," Eric announced as they stopped in front of a spacious-looking blue-rimmed, white house. "The garage is full, though, so we can't park inside."

Hiro was the first to get out as he looked up in amazement at the new house he would be staying at. "Uncle, this looks so nice," he commented in awe as Eric got out of the car and opened the back of the trunk. "I am glad you managed to get all this."

He reached for a bag, but his uncle shook his head. "Nah, Hiro, I'm fine, you don't have to help," Eric told him. "You should get to sleep. You look sort of out of it."

In truth, Hiro _was _pretty out of it. "Just tell me which one of these bags has your pajamas and toothbrush and bedtime stuff," he added as he pulled out the bags and placed them on the drive-way. He smirked at Hiro. "You still don't sleep with stuffed animals, do you?"

Hiro's face reddened as he grabbed one of the roll-on bags. "No, uncle, I've grown," he called back as he walked inside the house.

Eric just looked at him walk off, and smiled to himself as he closed the trunk. "You sure have, Hiro," he murmured.

As Hiro was directed by Luna into his new room after brushing his teeth, he placed his luggage down, zipped it open, and quickly got changed. He placed his headphones near a computer – that was really too much of them, he could pay for a computer with his own money – and walked out to check on Ai and Akira in their own room. Turns out they had already fallen fast asleep, back-to-back, Ai hugging her stuffed animal tightly.

Hiro nodded to himself as he went back to his room, and flopped onto the queen-sized mattress. It was a really comfortable bed – it must have been his uncle and aunt's before. He decided not to pursue the implications of that thought as he threw the sheets over himself – Calgary was still pretty cold at night. Hopefully, it wouldn't go from a sunny day to a snowy one tomorrow, like his last Christmas visit.

As Hiro looked from the ceiling out the window to the left, noting the clear full moon glowing in the night sky, he sighed contently. _"Canada, treat me well," _he said, then closed his eyes and soon fell fast asleep.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_

_Please give us your honest reviews and feedback, for it is our first time doing this kind of story. Even give us some tips of what we should do along the way! Enjoy the story and hopefully you will follow us as we keep on writing Persona X._


	2. An Early Start

**_Disclaimer:_** _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

**_Persona X  
Chapter 2: An Early Start_**

* * *

**_September 27, 2016  
????_**

Hiro woke up to the sound of piano music. Did aunt Luna own a piano? He opened his eyes groggily, stretching and yawning, only to recoil back as he was back on an aeroplane in a velvet-covered cabin with the same strange man with the big nose, as well as the red-haired lady that sat next to him. It looked exactly the same as before, with the exact same people. _Who are they anyway? _Hiro wondered as he lifted a finger.

The plane appeared to be experiencing turbulence as just then Hiro was nearly knocked off his seat as the cabin shook. He quickly regained balance, wondering why the two didn't so even as much flinch, and was still hesitant as to whether it was really necessary to buckle up or just continue to stare at these strangers. That or try not to get distracted at this whole colour-coded cabin while chilling piano music played in his ears. When Hiro cast a wary glance outside of the window, he saw that there were clouds in his way – they looked more like particles that sparkled, but Hiro ignored this as he turned back to the man and the lady.

The man opened his wide, unnerving eyes to gaze towards Hiro, and he gave the same exact smile from before. "Don't be shy," the man said again in his drawling, thin voice. He clasped his fingers tightly as he did not break his glance. "You'll be a little different than the other guests we've had in the past, but that does not make you the least more interesting."

Hiro blinked, and with a small gulp he nodded, not wanting to interrupt this odd man. The man smiled again. "My name is Igor," he introduced himself. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He beckoned a hand towards the cabin surroundings. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter..." He looked back towards Hiro. "It is a room that you can only enter if you are bound by a _contract..."_

The emphasis on that word caused Hiro to freeze. _What contract? I didn't sign anything besides forms at the airport! Does that mean I'm trespassing?! _the boy thought tensely, beginning to feel beads of sweat forming on his face as he gripped the chair's arms. He started to shift his eyes, much to this Igor's amusement.

"Once again, not to worry," Igor reassured him, placing his hand back over his other on the cane. "Perhaps destiny will arrange that for you in the near future. Now then, would you like to introduce yourself?"

Hiro opened his mouth, only for nothing to come out as he fought to find words. It was just his name too, this was ridiculous! He looked towards the lady, who had not broken her gaze from him. "Ah, I do apologize! Allow me to introduce my assistant," Igor exclaimed. He beckoned a hand towards the redhead. "This is Sakura. She is a resident here, like myself."

The woman bowed her head to Hiro. "It is my pleasure to meet you," she said. "I am here to assist you when necessary."

She lifted her head back up. Igor nodded. "Now that our introductions are taken care of, I suppose you may introduce yourself now."

Hiro nodded, and opened his mouth again, only to be rendered speechless as he tried to force words out of his mouth. Igor pursed his lips. "Hmm, as I thought," he murmured. "Perhaps you'd like to introduce yourself later then, that is if you decide to come back to the Velvet Room."

Hiro was about to protest as he bolted upwards from his seat, when at that moment the bluish lights in the cabin shut off. "I look forward to seeing you again," was the last thing Igor said as the room became dark.

* * * * * * * *

**_September 27, 2016  
The Johnson Residence_**

Hiro gasped as he woke with a start and sat up in his bed. He ran a hand through his hair. "What the hell..." he murmured. His head fell back down on the pillow as he turned to the window. _It's still a little dark outside..._he noted, looking at the darkening sky turning slightly lighter very slowly. He turned back to his pillow. _I should get some more rest, I'm awake and it's been awhile since we got here, but I'm still horribly jetlagged..._he thought as he closed his eyes again.

"Hiro, what are you doing?!"

Hiro opened one of his eyes irritably to see his uncle's face directly in front of his. "Uncle, I'm trying to sleep," he muttered to Eric, pulling the covers more over him. "Leave me alone."

Eric pursed his lips. "But, Hiro," he replied, and grabbed his alarm clock, pointing it at Hiro's face. "Isn't it your first day of school?"

Hiro grabbed his clock and placed it back down on the desk next to him. "I do not think it starts right now," he grumbled.

"What, at this time?" Eric exclaimed as he picked up the alarm clock again and looked at it with wide eyes. "Why, this is when most of us get to work! In Calgary, they want kids to be more on time, usually starts at around what, in thirty minutes...?"

Hiro's eyes popped wide open. "What?!" he cried as he sat back up again and grabbed the clock. The time read 7:08. "Oh, crap, I'm going to be late!" Hiro cried as he jumped out of bed and ran to the washroom.

Eric held out some folded clothes for him, as well as his wallet. "You need to wear uniform for this, remember?" he called. "Make sure to get your ID too, I stuffed a note for it in your wallet!"

Hiro ran back and snatched the pile from his uncle's hands as he bounded into the washroom. Eric dusted his hands off as he walked downstairs calmly towards the kitchen, kissed Luna on the cheek, and sat down at the table. "Well, it's going to be a good morning," he murmured.

Luna looked up at him from beating eggs in a bowl. She nearly dropped it when Hiro almost fell downstairs, fixed his bag over his shoulder, and grabbed the first piece of bread that popped out of the toaster. Stuffing it in his mouth, he gave a muffled cry of "thank you, see you later!" before he ran out the door and slammed it shut.

* * * * * * * *

**_September 27, 2016  
Prince Royale Private High School_**

A few days after the arrival of the Izumi family, the prestigious private institution of Prince Royale Private Highreceived a new student. According to the e-mail sent out to the teachers and staff, the student was an 18-year-old male, who hailed from Japan, and had been to North America and Canada twice before on vacation. He spoke fluent English and Japanese, as well as fragments of French he had studied prior to going to Canada, although it failed in comparison to the prior languages.

"_Shimattaaaaa!"_

And so it was as Hiro burst open the opening doors of Prince Royale's campus, gasping for breath, placing his hands on his knees. His eyes widened as he looked up at the large, spacious foyer of the interior – to his left was a hallway, and to his right was not only another hallway but a staircase leading to the second floor, as well as what he assumed was the library, due to the number of bookcases he saw through the large glass. The boy, still gasping, looked back in front of him to see the large school banner hanging from the ceiling – a three-pointed crown with wings inside of a circle that looked like half a sun and half a moon.

It was a simple but charming insignia, the same logo that decorated the left-hand pocket of his school uniform. Hiro took note of it again – a dark blue suit, with two red stripes running along the trim of the sleeves and the bottom of his blazer. He wore this over a white dress shirt, and a red tie with a blue stripe near the tip of it. Hiro fidgeted – he felt a little cold, but he wasn't used to wearing a blazer over the casual school boys' uniform Japan had offered him. He unbuttoned the blazer and un-tucked his shirt; hopefully, no one would really mind. He hoped no one would mind the headset resting on his neck either.

Hiro pulled back the sleeves of his shirt and blazer to check his watch. It was a gift from an old teacher of his – his English teacher, in fact – given to him before he had left. It still surprised Hiro how intricate and expensive it looked – the watch was a snap-on clasp type, was plated gold, and the clock plate itself had six points that stood out, with smaller interval points in-between each one. The inside of the clock itself – white, with black Roman numerals and classic hands – had a gold-trimmed eight-pointed sun.

The second hand ticked just past twelve, and the time was now 7:45. _Shit, what if I'm late?! _Hiro thought fearfully, realizing that there were no students in his sight. Hiro quickly fixed the positioning of the shoulder bag he carried, took a deep breath, and began to hurry up the stairs. _I have to get to class, or the teacher will surely punish me and I'll have made a horrible first impression! _

He had to get to his Social Studies class as soon as possible. He had to begin his first day of school!

"Boy, what are you doing here so early?"

Hiro blinked and turned towards a man, who looked Filpino and had a cleaning cart. "What do you mean by early?" Hiro asked the janitor, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

The janitor cocked his own. "As in why are you here at school at 7:45, when classes begin at 8:30?" he explained as he pointed at the clock under the banner.

Suddenly, it hit Hiro hard as he began to understand what the man was talking about. At that moment, Hiro did something out of his normal, usual gentlemanly manner.

"_CURSE YOU, ERIC, YOU BASTARD!" _the boy shouted towards the heavens as he raised his fists in anger.

**_September 27, 2016  
The Johnson Residence_**

At that exact moment, Eric sneezed. "Honey, are you okay?" Luna asked as she placed breakfast on the table.

Eric smiled up at his wife tenderly. "I think I just sneezed from the scent of love you're giving me," he replied to her.

**_September 27, 2016  
Prince Royale Private High School_**

Hiro walked out of the office, staring at his new ID with a scowl. It didn't look very good, despite what the photographer told him. He could tell when she tried to hold back a snicker as he walked out of the office.

A folded piece of paper was wedged into the binder that Hiro carried. Hiro pulled it out to check where the room was, thankful that there was a map on it. _Let's see, Room 2100..._He looked at the rooms descending from 2030 to 2087. _Looks like I'm in the right hall. At least I didn't get lost before his class, _he thought with relief as he stopped at the room that had the number 2100 above the door. With that, he stepped inside.

Hiro immediately took note of the environment – it was the common stereotypical classroom, with two chalkboards up front and at back, windows to the side of the room, the teacher's desk located in the far corner of the front of the room with a laptop and a few papers placed next to it, as well as a desk lamp. There was a bookcase as well shelved with encyclopaedia sets, novels, DVD cases, and all sorts of things. A Canadian flag hung over the frame of the door, and there were three posters in the room, all pertaining with what looked like things based on the military, history, or literature.

Finally, there was a brown-haired, bespectacled man at the front of the room, leaning rather casually against the teacher's desk as he read a hardcover-bound book rather absorbedly. The man wore clothes similar to Hiro's school uniform, except his blazer and trousers were grey, with three red stripes running along the trim, most likely to distinguish the difference between student and teacher. Underneath the blazer, the man wore a vertically-striped dull green vest and a black tie over a white collar shirt.

Hiro gulped. _Here we go. _

"Um...hello!" he said, stepping forward a little closer towards the direction of the figure and giving a rather hesitant wave. "Are you busy...? Is this my class...?"

The man looked up from the book, and his eyes – blue, blinked in surprise before his posture relaxed and he regained his composure, clearing his throat and standing up straight and proper. "Oh, no!" he said, placing the book down from his hand. "Actually, I'm not busy at all right now. Are you here for a tutorial, or..." His eyes widened. "Oh, you must be that student from Japan!"

Hiro nodded. "Then hello there!" the teacher continued as he extended his now free hand towards the student. "So, you're Hiro Izumi then?

Hiro nodded, noting how the book he had put down had the words _Ideology and History _in big, block letters on the front of it. "Yes, I am Hiro Izumi," he responded, shaking the teacher's hands. He nodded at the textbook placed down on the desk. "Are you my Social Studies teacher?"

The man grinned instantly, seemingly pleased that the new student had noticed as he fixed the black-rimmed glasses set over his eyes. "Actually, I'm your homeroom teacher, Mr. Mackenzie. But yes, I am a Social Studies teacher. Are you also in my Social class, Mr. Izumi?"

"I think so, yeah." Hiro took a second glance at the schedule tucked in his binder, noticing just then that the room numbers of his homeroom and his Social class were identical. "Is this room number 2100, first period?"

The bell rang at that moment, and Mr. Mackenzie nodded, wide smile vanishing in place of a more sophisticated outlook. "Then this is indeed your class," he said, and picked up a small yellow slip off his desk. "Before we begin, though, you will need a textbook from the library. You have your ID, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you have a copy of this?" Mr. Mackenzie asked, picking up the textbook.

"No, sir."

"Then you are required to fetch a copy of _Ideology and History _from the librarian downstairs, and present to her this note and your ID." He finished scribbling down whatever was necessary to be written on the slip of paper and held it out. "Once you are done with that, come back upstairs for your first class."

Hiro nodded enthusiastically. So far, this young guy seemed like a pretty decent teacher. "Thank you,_" _he replied gratefully as he took the note from Mr. Mackenzie's hand. "Treat me well, _sensei!"_

As his fingers grasped the paper, he noted Mr. Mackenzie stare down at him with a sudden expression of brief shock. Hiro froze, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. _Is that sort of expression not liked upon here? _he wondered. _Or maybe he doesn't know what _sensei _means...?_

Then, Mr. Mackenzie coughed and cleared his throat, smiling hastily back at Hiro. "Not a problem..." he responded, pausing at the end in contemplation before he snapped his fingers. "_Kagusei?" _he guessed, rather awkwardly.

Hiro chuckled. "G_akusei,_" he corrected, and he caught the strict but humble teacher flushing as he turned around and left the room, heading downstairs towards the library.

It was surprisingly and almost overwhelmingly alarming at the students that were flocking the hallways. The foreign exchange student paled and yelped as he was practically pushed against the wall. A frantic "Sorry!" was shouted, intermingling with the conversation hanging in the air. Hiro gasped and tried to merge back into the traffic of people, when he nearly tripped as a guy bumped into him. "Man, I'm gonna be late!" he heard the voice say, and Hiro looked up in time to see a male student with blond hair and a baseball cap run off quickly.

Now fearful of being trampled by an impending stampede, Hiro simply stood idle near a safe place as he watched the students rush by in amazement. The way they hurried to class, or stopped right in the middle of the halls to talk to their friends or fellow schoolmates, was amazing. Finally, as the traffic died down, Hiro rushed quickly downstairs to the library in hopes that he would not get knocked over again.

_Hopefully I won't get killed on my first day here, _Hiro thought wryly as he walked inside the large room again and showed the librarian his ID and the note. He headed over to the section that the librarian told him to go to and began scanning the books. _Let's see, _Ideology and History, _sounds boring...oh, here it is!_

He reached a hand over to pull out the book, when he realized just how wedged between all the rest of the textbooks in the shelf were. _Oh, damn it, _Hiro sighed. _At this rate, I'm going to be late for class! What if they give me an hour detention or worse? _He placed two hands on the book edge and pulled harshly. The book popped out abruptly, along with many others as Hiro tumbled back with a yelp and hit the other bookcase, causing a few more books to fall.

Groaning, Hiro immediately cursed in native tongue, and looked up in hopes that he wasn't spotted or heard by the librarian. Instead of seeing the librarian, though, he saw a girl standing at the end of the bookcases, waiting near the printer. She had short, cropped black hair, and was wearing the female version of the school uniform – same blazer, but she wore a pleated skirt just two inches above her knees and a ribbon bowtie around her shirt collar.

The girl turned her head towards Hiro momentarily, looking down at him with half-lidded, dark brown eyes. Hiro looked away sheepishly, but she looked rather uninterested in whatever mess he had gotten himself into as she turned back to the printer to wait for whatever it was she needed.

Hiro sighed as he began frantically placing books back in the shelves. Hopefully, she wouldn't be in any of his classes.

* * * * * * * *

Unfortunately, the librarian had caught him spilling the books on the shelves, and had asked him to stay and rearrange them in order by what they were categorized as. As though that wasn't enough, she had made him reorganize all the books in the other sections, severely killing his class time. Hiro was exhausted and grumpy by the time she let him go with another excuse note as to why he would be late for his Social class. _So much for my first impression, _he thought begrudgingly as he headed back upstairs towards his class.

By this time, Hiro was glad that most of the students were back in their classes, no longer trying to trample each over as they went to their next classes or the washrooms. He quickly headed back to the classroom, only to realize the door was closed shut. _Damn it, _Hiro thought meekly. _Should I knock? It's rude to knock when the teacher is teaching his class. What if they give me a two-hour detention?!_

"Young man, what are you doing wandering in the halls at this period? You should be in class."

Hiro froze as his head turned to see a middle-aged looking man with greying hair and a moustache, as well as spectacles over his eyes and the uniform Mr. Mackenzie was wearing from earlier. _This isn't good, _Hiro thought in a mad panic. _What do I do now?_

"I - I'm new here," Hiro simply responded truthfully, gathering up his courage as he gulped. "I wasn't sure if I would get in trouble if I knocked on my classroom."

The older man raised an eyebrow at him questionably, and Hiro could feel sweat beginning to trickle down his face. "Well, as a student of Prince Royale Private High, I admire your respect. However, you should be punctual as much as possible, even if you have to arrive here thirty minutes before class begins. At least it shows you care about your academic education, young man."

Hiro could feel a great invisible weight suddenly drop over his head as the teacher opened the door for him. "Remember what I've said, perhaps it will help you get through your new school life," the man finished as both of them walked in.

Hiro nodded. "Y – yes, sir," he replied quickly, before he turned back to the room and realized that a majority of the seats were all filled in, except a few. The problem was they were all next to people he didn't know that didn't look very friendly at the moment, or rather, bored or busy. "Umm..."

"Ah, there you are," Mr. Mackenzie said, and Hiro looked up to see the Social teacher put down his chalk. "Everyone, this is Hiro Izumi, our new student from Japan. Treat him with the respect you would treat myself and your peers."

"Those are two totally different groups of people," a voice whispered loudly from a corner, and the class snickered.

Mr. Mackenzie turned to give a stern look towards the culprit, before he gestured at the desks. "You may take a seat anywhere you wish," he told Hiro, before he turned back to the board. It was then that he caught sight of the older teacher near the door. "Oh, Mr. Craigsworth! Glad you can join us."

The man nodded and smiled, though his eyes did not. "Your class does not seem to know where they stand at times, Mr. Mackenzie," he drawled. Mr. Mackenzie chuckled nervously as Mr. Craigsworth picked up the history textbook Mr. Mackenzie was using and opened it to a page. "What do you think about this multiple choice question here, I don't exactly know the answer to it myself?"

"Oh, what spurred the French Revolution? Well..."

As the two educators consulted, Hiro walked down an aisle of desks, ready to sit next to a bespectacled girl. However, she placed her bags on the chair when he was close. Hiro gulped and looked to his right, seeing the back of a dark-haired girl's head. She appeared to be wearing a pink headband; Hiro wondered what the dress code was at this school about hats. "Er, excuse me?" he began.

The headband-wearing student turned around, and Hiro realized that she was wearing a visor on her long, dark hair, pushed to one side and streaked with red. Her surprised eyes were surprisingly light and pinkish-brown – hazel, most likely, and two gold earrings dangled from her ears. Hiro blinked, nearly blushing. "Um, I'm sorry, but may I have the seat next to you?" he whispered. "I'm Hiro Izumi."

The girl, who looked either Chinese or some variety of Asian, smiled up at him as she took her bags off the seat to her left. "Sure, I don't mind," she said back softly as she placed them under her desk. "Are you a new student?"

"Thank you," he responded, sitting next to her. "It is my first day and year here."

The girl chuckled. "Well, you seem to be doing alright for the first day," she replied. "It's my third year here, welcome to Prince Royale High. It's alright."

"Pft," a familiar male voice muttered. "Not with these guys ruining the fun."

Hiro raised his head to look at the male sitting in front of the girl, who turned back to look at him. He realized it was the same student who had nearly bowled him over earlier in the hall. The taller boy was wearing his blue baseball cap over short, unkempt blond hair, and there were blue-rimmed glasses over his greenish-brown eyes. "Nothing's alright with these teachers around and drowning out my thoughts on the pretty girls here with their boring lectures," the cap-wearing student added. "Ruin my fun."

"Marcus," the girl began. "School isn't really supposed to be fun, especially when you're slacking off."

The boy huffed. "How can you call all this boring crap about ancient people and stuff fun?" he retorted. "It's insane."

"Boy, I'll say," the other student sitting next to him scowled. "Bet all the dust from those history books have gotten to these guys' heads."

"Nice!" the blonde laughed as he and the student high-fived, only to be glared at by the two teachers up in front of the class. "Oh, sorry, is it over already?"

Several of the students snickered and rolled their eyes, such as the girl in front of the blonde. Mr. Craigsworth pursed his lips disapprovingly. "Mr. Mackenzie, I'm sure you can teach these students a little bit about discipline and order at our institute..." he reminded the class' instructor.

Mr. Mackenzie nodded back, and then turned back to his class with the utmost serious expression he could muster. "Settle down, ladies and gentlemen," he said as he tapped his hand holding the chalk against the board to emphasize his lesson, "or I'm afraid I'll have to smack you across the head with a metre stick."

"Mr. Mackenzie!" Mr. Craigsworth exclaimed, his eyes flying wide open.

A handful of the students however began snickering and scoffing. "Bring it on!" the blond student named Marcus shouted, along with two other guys and the student sitting next to him who shouted something similar. Mr. Craigsworth gave a stern look towards the younger teacher, whose smile vanished in guilt as he wished he hadn't made that joke. Hiro just stared at the now-bustling classroom.

"Are all the students like this...?" he murmured, more to himself than anybody else.

At that moment, a student entered the room carrying what looked like a stapled report. Hiro blinked as he looked towards her. It was that girl from earlier in the library! _Well, so much for hoping she wouldn't be in any of my classes…_Hiro sulked.

"The printer began to work again, sorry it took so long, Mr. Mackenzie," the girl said in a low voice as she placed the report on his desk.

Mr. Mackenzie nodded quickly. "It's alright, Kyoko, just take your seat and we'll fine."

Kyoko looked around the room for her proper seat, only to find that it had been filled by Hiro. "Hey cutie, you can sit right next to me," Marcus whispered, nudging at the empty space next to him with a smile.

Hiro sweatdropped. "Does he always do that...?" he whispered.

The girl next to him smirked. "Yeah, he's what we call a doofus. But watch what will happen next."

The other girl from the library immediately walked towards Marcus, and right away brushed past him briskly to sit down next to Hiro. Marcus pouted and Hiro suppressed his laughter, unlike a few who decided to laugh directly. "Mr. Howard, if you would please refrain from flirting and focus more on the historical topic at hand, please," Mr. Mackenzie told him.

The blonde's face paled. "Oh, snap, I didn't study!" he hissed. Marcus looked behind him. "Ahh, help me, Lily!"

The girl instead smacked his arm, causing him to wince and more laughter to riot. Mr. Mackenzie sighed. Mr. Craigsworth had seen enough for the time, and shook his head. "Goodness, Drew..." he muttered, and walked out of the room.

It was Mr. Mackenzie's turn to pale. "Wait, Gareth - !" he started, raising his arm, then dropped it. He turned to glare at the class. "And to think, you're all capable high schoolers about to graduate. Will you please start acting like you're capable for graduation, then? Now, back to the Crusade..."

The long-haired girl sitting next to Hiro leaned over towards him. "Just to tell if you didn't already guess, my name is Lily Nguyen," she whispered. She gave him a wide smile. "Nice to meet you, Hiro."

Hiro smiled back at the Vietnamese girl. "Oh, treat me well," he responded. Lily blinked before she chuckled, and Hiro felt relieved that she recognized and acknowledged his cultural habits.

At that moment, the bell rang. "Oh, my – " Mr. Mackenzie started, then groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, remember, I will need your reports on the Enlightenment by the end of the school day! The printers and the computers are now functioning properly, please make sure to get them to me – "

He suddenly looked up just to see a majority of the students no longer paying attention as they attempted to file out as quickly as possible. "And...and have a nice day," he finished, with a dejected sigh.

"What class do you have next, Hiro?" Lily asked as she packed up her stuff.

Hiro looked back at his schedule. "Uhm, Math," he replied. "It's a few doors down from here, actually."

"Hey, cool!" Lily said eagerly. "We're in the same math class, so maybe I could walk with you to the next room."

"That would be very nice," Hiro said back with a smile, and, wondering if he should use old customs or not, decided to keep his culture a bit. "Nguyen_-chan."_

Lily chuckled again, seeming quite fine with the foreign exchange student's foreign quirks. However, the girl from earlier looked at him rather questionably as she stood up from her desk. _"Chan?" _she echoed, contemplatively.

Hiro froze. "I was...just being formal..." he responded hesitantly. He blinked and frowned; her name was Kyoko, wasn't it? That was a very Japanese name, and she looked the part too.

His doubts were silenced when Kyoko immediately asked, _"Nihongo o hanashimasu ka?"_

Taken aback at first, Hiro gasped. "Eh?" he started, then paused. _"Hai."_ Deciding that a simple _yes _was not enough, he took it further despite knowing very well what the answer would more or less be. _"Nihongo desu ka?"_

Kyoko simply nodded. _"Un," _she responded. She then turned and walked out with the rest of the other students and classmates, leaving Hiro speechless.

Lily just stared off at her, then looked back at Hiro. "Wow, you're amazing."

Hiro raised an eyebrow at her. "How?"

"Well, you're ever the first one to speak to that girl in something that constitutes a normal and not formal conversation, er, I think."

There was a scoff from behind Hiro, and Hiro turned around to see Marcus standing there with a scowl on his face. "Damn, you just talked with a popular girl," he said, looking rather glum and envious about it. "You're just new here too! You lucky bastard!"

At that moment, Mr. Mackenzie loomed over Marcus. "Mr. Howard...your language?" he scolded.

Marcus in return turned his scowl to the older man. "Hey, you can't bother me, I'm not in your class no more."

"Not if the class list still says so," Mr. Mackenzie retorted with a smirk, causing Marcus' face to fall more. He picked up his laptop case and his textbook. "Remember, that report is worth a good percentage of your final mark. I would like to see you reach your potential, Marcus. And Hiro..."

Hiro looked up as Mr. Mackenzie approached him. "I hope you enjoy Social Studies," he simply said, and with that walked out of the classroom.

Marcus growled, fixing his glasses. "Damn that bastard..." he hissed. Hiro and Lily simply sweatdropped nervously.

"We better head off," Lily interrupted as she walked out along with Hiro and Marcus. "Class is about to start."

* * * * * * * *

"Thanks for waiting for me," Lily said, quickly readjusting the visor on her hair as she closed her locker. "Let's see, our next class is Math, right?"

Hiro nodded. "Okay, let's go!" he said enthusiastically, enjoying his day so far.

Marcus grinned. "Sweet, I'm looking forward to it today!"

Lily raised an eyebrow at the blonde, as did Hiro. "Do you enjoy math?" Hiro asked.

"Oh, anybody would now. Didn't you see that hot new math teacher?" Marcus replied as his grin deepened. Hiro blinked sheepishly and Lily twitched. "Let's hurry, guys, I want a front row seat near her when she teaches!"

They quickly filed to their classroom. A slender woman with short reddish-brown hair walked in. She had a uniform similar to Mr. Mackenzie's, except with a knee-high pleated skirt, trimmed with the three red stripes, and wore a black collar shirt. Heads from both male and female students turned – she really did look pretty.

"Hello class, welcome to Math," the redhead (or brunette) said as she took some chalk and wrote "Ms. Gunner" on the board. "I know you had a few temporary teachers and substitutes a while back, but I will be filling in for them as long as I can." She smiled charmingly at the class. "We'll have fun here."

Marcus gave a long, dreamy sigh. "I think I'm in love," he uttered.

Lily twitched. "Oh, God, here we go again." She smirked at Hiro. "I'm just thankful I'm sitting beside a normal kid, right, Hiro?"

Hiro blinked. "Thanks, I think," he said back, not sure if it was a joke or not.

* * *

**_To Be Continued..._**


	3. Initial Incidents

___**Disclaimer:** The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
**__**Chapter 3: Initial Incidents**_

* * *

_**September 27, 2016  
Prince Royale Private High School**_

At last, classes finally ended. Many students were rushing back to their lockers, eager to get home. Hiro gave a long sigh of relief as he closed his locker, shouldering his bag of supplies and schoolwork. Thank goodness he survived his first day.

"Hey, Hiro!"

Hiro turned next to his locker to see Lily. "Want to walk home together?" she asked, leaning against the lockers and adjusting her bag.

Hiro blinked, looking surprised on the offer that Lily asked of him. "Just wondering why are you so kind of yourself to offer to walk home with me?" he asked as he fastened the lock.

"Well, because you're new around this area." Lily placed a hand on her hip. "I could show you some shortcuts and routes around the city!"

Hiro thought carefully about what she said. She was right about one thing, and that was that he was still new around the area. He might get lost one of these days, or worse – get mugged off the street. _I think it's a good idea to take Nguyen-chan's offer to walk home together,_ he concluded as he grinned and nodded. "Thank you for the offer, Nguyen-_chan!"_

A bunch of students walking by muttered under their breath, "First day here and already he's popular with the girls."

At that moment, Marcus stopped right by Hiro and Lily. "Hey, wait up!" he called, and grinned at the male Asian. "I'll walk with you guys as well."

Lily looked slightly disappointed, but Hiro shrugged. "If you insist, Howard_-san," _he said, and Marcus beamed, proud that he was being addressed by a stranger with an honorific.

"You better not flirt on the way," was all Lily said with a smirk.

"What are you talking about, Lily? I don't flirt with the girls that all come to flirt with me," he retorted coolly.

Hiro and Lily sweatdropped. Lily smirked. "Yeah, the only girl that will flirt with you is a psycho killer."

Marcus simply scoffed and was about to argue until two students walked by him. One them nudged Marcus in the shoulder. "Yo, Marc, you print out your project yet?" he asked coyly as he walked off.

Marcus' eyes widened. "Oh, crap," he groaned. "I forgot!" He waved at Lily and Hiro. "Sorry guys, go ahead of me!" With that he ran off shouting something that sounded like "I don't want to die!" as he bolted.

"You have a interesting friend," Hiro said as he stared off at Marcus.

"I don't know how I made friends with him," Lily deadpanned back as she too stared off at her interesting friend.

Hiro chuckled. "Well, they do say people can overcome differences to become even the best of friends," he advised.

"Haha, Marcus and I the best of friends?" Lily scoffed. She leaned against the lockers. "What a laugh, I'll never be that close to that knucklehead."

"Is there a person you are close to, though?" Hiro asked, looking back at her.

Lily blinked and looked back at him, taken off-guard by the question, when at that moment Marcus ran by them again. "Hey, guys, miss me much?"

The girl nearly shrieked as she leaned back into the lockers. "How the hell did you get there and back here so fast..." she hissed, but Marcus ignored her as he waved a number of crudely stapled papers together.

"Alright, let's get this down to Mackenzie's room and let's get out of here! I want to go home and sleep."

"Wow, you are a interesting character," Hiro murmured as he stared at Marcus.

"Oh yeah, forgot to introduce myself properly," Marcus suddenly realized. He held his hand in a thumbs-up jab towards himself. "You know my name's Marcus Howard. I like to call myself Sexy Marcus, for all the girls come over for their absolute love for me."

Lily turned red at the last comment, much to Hiro's confusion and complete befuddlement. "You sure they just don't go there out of absolute pity...?" she deadpanned again, dodging the entendre as she glared at him through half-lidded hazel eyes.

"You're mean, you know that you witch?" Marcus hissed back as he returned the look with equally slit brown eyes.

Hiro decided to change the subject at that moment. "So guys, what do you think about our Social teacher?" he asked as they began to walk.

Lily shrugged. "He's alright, he's a bit too obsessed with his subject if you ask me." She chuckled. "Sort of like a...a – "

"Nerd," Marcus finished dryly as he stopped dead in his tracks with a deep frown. "And a bastard. Therefore he is a nerdy bastard."

Hiro's eyes widened. "Uh, guys...?"

"Well, if you only paid attention in class..." Lily muttered as she stopped too.

"I did, last week! Well, sort of, but it doesn't change him being a bastard!" Marcus retorted.

"Guys..." Hiro tried to interject, raising his hand nervously.

"Be nice to him, he's a new teacher," Lily chided.

"Student teacher, rookie teacher, or experienced teacher, they are all bastards," Marcus scoffed back with folded arms. "To me, he is the biggest bastard out of all of them."

"GUYS!" Hiro practically shrieked.

Lily and Marcus sharply whipped their heads towards him. "What?!"

Hiro raised a finger behind them. "He is right there..."

All three of them froze.

Then, Marcus laughed. "Oh! Good one, dude, you nearly got me there, phew."

"I know, it's such a cliché nowadays," a voice drawled from behind Marcus.

Marcus grinned and nodded. "Hell yeah!" he agreed. At that moment, his blood went cold at the realization of whose voice that was. "Oh my God," he uttered weakly as Lily turned around nervously to face a very scary-looking Mr. Mackenzie.

"So, you think I'm the biggest bastard in this school, Mr. Howard?" Mr. Mackenzie stated darkly, glowering at his troublesome student.

Said student was sweating bullets at that moment, his eyes glued to the very angry ones of Mackenzie's. "Umm, n - no sir, I was just making a joke, you know...?"

Mr. Mackenzie did not break his glare as he lowered his head. "Well. I'm not laughing. I want an essay tomorrow, one page, size 12 font, Times New Roman, typed up, about why vulgar jokes like yours are considered inappropriate to this school." With that, he walked past the three students very briskly.

"Nooo..." Marcus groaned, ready to cry in humiliation and crushing defeat.

Lily shook her head. "It's your own fault."

Mr. Mackenzie stopped. "Oh, yes." He glanced backwards, his gaze calmer now. "Mr. Izumi, hopefully you have a good school year. Both of us are new here, and I wouldn't want _you _to get hurt."

Hiro didn't know what to say in response to that. "Th-thank you, _sens – _sir," he simply replied. Mr. Mackenzie nodded, before disappearing into his office and closing the door rather forcefully.

Lily paused, looking a bit sympathetic. "I think you really hurt his feelings," she murmured.

Marcus looked away for a moment, before he looked back at Hiro and Lily pathetically. "So that means my report's probably not going to be graded now, huh?" he said meekly.

Hiro sighed. "I think we should run off now."

"Why do you say that? Oh God, do you think he'll call the _principal _on me - ?!"

"I meant that school is over, right?" Hiro pointed out as he beckoned at the abandoned school hallways.

"Duh, pretty obvious from that," Lily said as she readjusted her bag. With that, she, Hiro, and Marcus walked towards the doors nearest them in an uncomfortable silence.

As they were walking, Kyoko walked from out of the corner, turning to walk down their hall. As she walked past Hiro, Kyoko looked at him vaguely, and Hiro couldn't help but look back. Then, she turned her head back forward as she walked away from them.

Marcus let out another groan. "Aww, man, why are you so popular with the girls? First Kyoko, and now Lily. I bet it's because you're a foreigner."

Hiro felt his face grow hot as they walked towards Red Oak Circle.

* * * * * * * *

_**September 27, 2016  
The Johnson Residence**_

Hiro finally reached his house. He turned towards his new friends and smiled. "Well, I will see you guys later, I still need to unpack at my aunt and uncle's house," he told them as he pulled out his keys.

Marcus beamed. "Alright, see you around, Super-Hiro!" he said, slapping his shoulder, causing Hiro to jump. He turned and walked away in good spirits.

Lily was prepared to follow Marcus, but then she stopped to look back up at his house. "This is a nice house," she murmured. She smirked. "This neighbourhood sort of looks like my own..." She turned back to look at Hiro. "So, what made your family decide to come here and stay with the rest of your family?"

Hiro's smile suddenly faded as he stared down at the ground uncertainly. He was about to respond to that as he opened a mouth, until he heard a familiar scream as he opened the door.

"_Onii-chan is back!"_

Hiro and Lily blinked and looked towards the door as Ai and Akira ran towards him with eager grins and bright eyes. "Ai, Akira!" the older brother said, his smile returning as he bent down to greet them. _"Daijoubu?"_

"_Hai, hai!" _

Akira was the first to notice Lily standing next to Hiro, looking down at the reunited Izumi family. "Eh?" he exclaimed. He raised an eyebrow at Hiro. _"Onii-chan, you have a girlfriend already on your first day of school?"_

Ai's eyes flew wide open, and Hiro's composure faltered as he yelped. Lily, not understanding what they were talking about, simply blinked again in confusion. _"Akira, she's not my girlfriend," _Hiro simply retorted, taking his bag off. _"This is Lily, treat her well. That means you too, Ai – eh? Ai?"_

But the female twin had approached the older girl. "A...are you _onii-chan_...guru...furendo...?"she tried to ask, struggling with her English.

Luckily for a now very flustered Hiro, Lily couldn't exactly understand what she was saying. "Sorry, what did you say?" she asked, sweatdropping with an innocent smile. "I couldn't really catch that."

Unluckily for Hiro, Ai's second attempt was more successful. "Big bro girlfriend!" she spluttered. She looked up at the older girl determinedly. "Are you big bro girlfriend?"

Lily's hazel eyes widened in surprise, and Hiro immediately pulled her back and covered her mouth with a flushed face. _"Did I not just tell your male counterpart that she's not my girlfriend?!" _he scolded through gritted teeth.

"_Ehh?!" _Ai whined, pushing him away and folding her arms as she looked away from him. _"Onii-chaaaan!"_

Akira also looked very upset with this comment. _"Oi, oi, how many times do we have to tell you?!" _he barked, pointing at himself and her. He also folded his arms and looked away from his brother. _"We are different people, we're not just counterparts! Humph!"_

Lily started to giggle, sort of grasping what was being said. Hiro turned slightly redder. "I apologize for their behaviour..." he said, bowing lightly. "These are my younger brother and sister, Ai and Akira."

"Are they twins?" Lily asked, prompting Ai and Akira to glare at her disapprovingly.

"Yeah," Hiro murmured. He cleared his throat and gestured his hand indoors. "Well...since you're already here...would you like to come in for something to eat or drink?"

Lily began to blush. "Umm, sure but this will be the first time in a boy's house by myself...what will Marcus think...?"

Ai and Akira had shed their looks of disapproval now, and were giggling at their older brother's antics. Both twins walked back inside the house, and Hiro could catch them talking about Lily in their tongue. "It looks like you're all having fun, I wish I could understand what you're saying," the dark-haired girl sighed whimsically.

"No, I would rather you did not," Hiro muttered with shifty eyes. He held open the door more for her. "Anyway, come in."

Lily nodded and stepped inside the house. As soon as she did, Eric poked his head from the den, looking towards the door. "Oh Hiro, you're back," he exclaimed, walking towards them. "How was school?"

Hiro grinned up at his uncle. "It was good, made a couple of new friends." He nodded towards Lily. "Like this one beside me."

Lily extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr...?"

"Oh, Johnson," Eric responded, shaking her hand. He lowered his gaze coolly. "Eric Johnson."

Hiro felt the urge to go hide somewhere in a corner. "Oh! You must be Hiro's uncle then," Lily said. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you as well, Ms...?"

"Lily Nguyen."

Eric raised his eyebrow at Hiro. "Seems like my nephew already got himself a girlfriend on the first day of school," he teased.

Ai and Akira began to snicker and giggle. Lily started to turn red slightly. _"Oh, damn it," _Hiro groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Now, watch your tongue, Hiro, your aunt has been teaching me it more lately," Eric scolded mockingly, wagging a finger in his nephew's face.

Lily turned towards Hiro. "You think I could learn some Japanese from her as well, Hiro?" she inquired. "I've always wanted to."

"Oh of course," Eric guffawed, his hands on his hips. He gave her a sly smile. "It will be good for your two's futu – "

"Would you like something to eat, Lily_-chan_?!" Hiro butted in quickly, gently shoving her towards the kitchen with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, already going to say their first name, Hiro?" his uncle hollered from the living room.

Hiro flushed again. "Sorry, Nguyen-cha – wait." He glared back towards Eric. "When did she start teaching you culture too..."

Eric crossed his fingers. "My secret."

Lily flushed as well as Hiro forced himself to turn his glaring eyes away from his uncle.

In a few minutes, two slices of bread popped out from the toaster. Hiro placed them on a plate and placed it in front of Lily as well as putting jars of peanut butter, jam, and chocolate spread on the table as well. "Uh, sorry it's not more...cultural...to your tastes," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm sure you can make better food than this."

Lily shrugged as she reached for the jar of peanut butter. "It's okay, you weren't prepared for your little invite for me anyway," she replied, opening the jar and reaching for the butter knife.

"Still not a excuse for poor food is what my mom taught me," the black-haired boy murmured as he sat down, reaching for the other slice and the jar of chocolate spread.

"Oh, yeah," Lily murmured, wiping the knife with some tissue paper and spreading the chocolate on the other half of her toast. "I was going to ask about your mom and dad." She took a bite and swallowed quickly. "What do they do?

Hiro still looked uncomfortable about this same question as he stared down sadly at his half-spread toast. He was about to answer again, until Ai suddenly ran in crying. _"Onii-chaaan!" _she bawled, quickly hugging his leg.

"Eh?" Hiro looked down, his focus now on her. _"Ai, what's wrong?"_

Ai, still crying, sniffed, _"Akira told me that Lily will take you away from us and live far away from us."_

Hiro sweatdropped. _"Where did you hear that from...?"_ he drawled.

Ai sniffed again. _"Uncle Eric."_

Hiro felt like grabbing the jar of peanut butter and chucking it at his uncle's head. Lily chuckled, amused and at the same time feeling awkward by this, until she glimpsed the kitchen clock. "Oh, God! Hiro, I've got to go, I have to be back home." She stuffed the last bit of toast in her mouth and swallowed quickly, bowing to Hiro, hesitantly. "Uh, thank you for the food, though, I'll pay you back with my own cooking tomorrow!"

"Oh. Okay, want me to walk you home?"

Lily gave a coy smile. "It's okay," she responded. "To surprise you, I didn't tell you that I live right next to you."

"_What?!"_

Hiro's mouth was still agape as he looked at the red-rimmed, white house next to theirs. Ai had stopped crying at this point, relieved that her brother would not be taken away to a far place. _"Onii-chan's girlfriend lives next to him," _she giggled to Akira, who just smirked.

Hiro groaned. _"Yare yare..." _he muttered, scratching the back of his head.

Lily picked up her bag and walked out the door. "See you, Hiro!" she shouted, waving at the family as she pulled out the keys to her house. "See you, Mr. Johnson, and thank you for having me as a guest!"

Eric nudged Hiro playfully. "Hey, Hiro, did you forget to give the girl next door a goodbye kiss?" he taunted mischievously.

Lily gave one more chuckle before she quickly slipped into her house and closed the door. "Thanks, uncle," Eric's nephew simply deadpanned.

* * * * * * * *

_**September 28, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence**_

Hiro blinked as he opened his eyes. He looked at the clock – 7:30 AM. Hiro sat up and shifted his eyes. _I might as well get up a little early just to see if his uncle will try that prank again,_ he thought slyly.

Suddenly, Hiro began to hear footprints coming near his door. _Thought so, _Hiro confirmed as he jumped up from his bed, grabbing a pillow with him, and hid behind the door to wait for his uncle to arrive.

The door opens very slowly, creating pressure for Hiro as he gripped the pillow and raised it.

The lights flickered on, and the door was opened. Hiro acted immediately and whipped the pillow across the uncle's head with a triumphant head...

But instead of a man's voice, it was a woman's.

Hiro froze. _The last time I checked, my uncle was a man..._the boy thought nervously as his eyes shifted down to the dark-haired woman, who was now sprawled on the floor looking very dazed.

"Ohh...what hit me...?" his aunt groaned.

At that moment, Eric walked in. "Hey, Hiro, you don't want to be late for sch – " he began with a smirk, when he noticed his wife on the ground. "Oh, my God, LUNA!" He whipped his head up to glare sinisterly at Hiro. "HIRO! What have you done..."

Hiro, who was standing over her with the pillow gripped offensively in his hand, had so much evidence against him he decided to just admit it. "I accidentally hit aunt Luna because I thought it was you, uncle," he responded hesitantly.

Eric's glare subsided. "Oh," he simply murmured. He grinned. "Well...I guess I'm lucky that it wasn't me then!"

At this point, Luna had gotten up and was glaring at Eric from behind him. Eric cocked an eyebrow. "Do you feel something strange?"

Hiro froze. "Uncle, I think you're in trouble," he uttered as he took a step back.

"What? What do you mean by..."

Before he could even finish his sentence, his left ear was pulled on very abruptly. Hiro sweatdropped as Luna pulled Eric towards her with an angry gaze. "Eric Stuart Johnson, how dare you brush off your cute and lovely wife, who was on the ground asking to be pulled back up!"

"Bu - but you didn't ask!" Eric stuttered as he got pulled out of the room. Hiro gave a relieved sigh and threw the pillow back on his head, thanking God it was over.

That is, until his aunt called his name. "Hiro, can you come over here for a sec, I forgot I wanted to talk to you," Luna's voice rang from outside sweetly.

Hiro shrugged and stepped out of his room where his aunt was, and where his uncle was still being pulled on the ear, assuming he was in the clear.

His assumption would be the biggest mistake of his life. "Aunt, what did you – " Hiro began.

In that instant Luna then began to pull Hiro's right ear as well. "And as for YOU!" she snapped. "Recklessly ambushing your sweet and caring aunt who was only checking to tell her dear nephew good morning!"

Hiro began to grumble with pain with Eric as they were dragged downstairs into the kitchen. "Now as for punishment, I won't make you lunch!" Luna told Hiro, who pouted. He only had $25.00 on him, would it be enough? Then Luna shot her husband a very, very dark glare. "As for you..."

Eric seemed to recognize what this glare meant as his eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no," he started. "Dear, no, please, I'm sorry, really...does this HAVE to interfere with tonight's plans...?"

Luna's glare darkened. Eric pouted. "Nooo...and this would have been the first time ever since the kids came..." he whined.

Then Ai and Akira began to walk down the stairs, rubbing their eyes. "What is with the noise so early in the morning?" Akira mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

Luna looked up to them with a cheerful smile. _"Oh, don't worry, everything's alright here!" _she told the twins innocently._ "You two should get ready for school now."_

Akira blinked. _"But we don't have to wake up usually until thirty more minu – "_

"_I said get ready for school," _Luna's growled lowly through gritted teeth.

Ai and Akira began to feel frightened and fearful of their aunt that they began to believe they saw a demon in her eyes. Hiro, seeing an opportunity to escape, looked up at his aunt warily. "Uh, I must get ready for school too, aunt Luna!" he pointed out as the twins ran upstairs. "Can you let go of my ear now so I may prepare?"

Luna gave a surrendering glance. "Oh fine, you may go," his aunt said. "But remember, your punishment will be that you have no lunch made by love from your aunt, and you must use your own money to buy your lunch."

"Okay."

Luna then let go of Hiro's ear, where he finally gave a sigh of relief, glad his aunt let go of his ear. Honestly, it felt so painful – like being punched in the arm. Luna looked towards Eric. "And your excuse?" she drawled as Hiro ran upstairs to change and get ready. "You have a day off of work, so no using that."

Eric was still in sour spirits. "There is no more purpose for an excuse..." he grumbled.

"With that attitude of yours, I'll have to put even greater punishment on you to the point of right and tonight, you will sleep on the couch."

Eric face started to grow even more horrified when he heard those words. Luna continued to glare at him, before her face fell. "Oh, fine, I forgive you. You know I can't sleep without you by my side," she murmured, letting go of his ear.

Eric's face suddenly made mood swing expression changes from depression, to confusion, to happiness. Luna begins to have teary eyes. "Because if I don't sleep on your side, I will not have my handsome husband to protect from evil," she said softly.

Eric too had sparkling eyes. "Luna, my love..."

Ai and Akira were just coming downstairs and overheard their uncle and aunt's conversation. They exchanged befuddled glances as Eric embraced her closely. "So..." he began in a husky voice. "Does this mean that tonight's plans..."

Luna chuckled. "Of course it is, panda bear," she responded seductively, just as Hiro finished getting ready and nearly tripped down the stairs from overhearing.

Ai and Akira were at the table, about to eat cereal, before they began to wonder about what their uncle and aunt said. "What are this plans?" Ai asked.

"Yeah, is it fun?" Akira added with a grin. "Can we join in?!"

Hiro almost tripped again after hearing one weird conversation after another. _Just need to get the bread and run the hell out to school to get away from the crazy morning, _Hiro thought urgently as he grabbed the toasted bread from the toaster, bowed to his extended family, and ran out the door.

* * * * * * * *

_**September 28, 2016  
Prince Royale Private High School**_

"And so when we look at it this way, these two ideologies are probably the most basic foundations of political parties in the present day," Mr. Mackenzie explained as he wrote the two words down on the board. He tapped the word on the left. "Liberalism, or democracy, is the more left-winged party, and primarily focuses on freedom of the people and what they want." He then tapped the word on the right. "In contrast to conservatism, or a republican view, on the right-winged side, which does in a way restrict the freedom of the people for the sake of morality, but they do care about what the people want."

One student raised her hand. "Yes, Julienne?" Mr. Mackenzie asked as he looked up from the board.

"I don't get this. Aren't all these political people more or less driving for the same things for a country? Why is it they hate and protest against each other so much?"

Hiro's ears perked up as he tried to write down the notes; he wanted to know the last part too. "Well, we'll get more into the second topic later," Mr. Mackenzie answered as he turned back to the board. "But there's a little political joke." The brown-haired man pointed at the liberalism side. "Liberalism, to restate, is a left-winged party, and conservatism is a right-winged party. Now, the term 'dexter' is used for 'right' as in a right hand, and the term 'sinister' is used for 'left' as in a left hand." He smirked widely. "If we use that logic, well, that means liberalism is pretty sinister then."

Dead silence. Mr. Mackenzie's face fell before he pointed back at conservatism. "Okay, easier one to understand," the teacher continued. "One's right, the other isn't."

This brought out a few weak "oh!"'s, snickers, and groans from the class. "Now, these are very republican-supporting tidbits, so, heh, they're not endorsed by me or this lesson," he added with a small chuckle, just as the next class bell rang. "Oh, well. Have a good day, everyone! Remember, there is no school tomorrow, but there will be a quiz Friday when you get back so study this unit!"

As the students groaned again, packed up and fled the classroom, Hiro felt his knowledge increase as he picked up his own books. "Did you get any of that?" Marcus whispered to him as he stood next to Hiro.

Hiro reconsidered what he had just learned. "Um, I learned that conservatism was right and that liberalism was left?" he replied, raising his hands to each. "I mean, since Canada follows this conservatism..."

"But I thought it was evil, not left," Marcus muttered as Hiro re-thought carefully about the lesson. "I hate politics, it's so hard to understand the guys in the government and who exactly is different. Damn it, Mackenzie, why can't you explain this stuff in a nutshell?"

Lucky for him, Mackenzie had overheard. He pushed his glasses up as he walked by the two. "Well, as a teacher, I teach," he said. "As a student, you study."

"What is the point in that if I don't know what's being talked about?!" Marcus balked as Mr. Mackenzie closed his laptop and packed up his own stuff.

Mackenzie rolled his eyes and shook his head. "At least Hiro is trying."

"And Marcus is crying," Lily added with her own smirk as she stood by the two. Hiro smiled back humbly, and Marcus just scowled.

"Hey, that rhymes, Ms. Nguyen." The teacher quickly cleared his throat. "But you also shouldn't put your classmates down."

Lily chuckled. "Sorry, sir, but you left a good joke wide open."

Mackenzie chuckled as he slung the bag over his shoulder and left the classroom.

"...pet."

Lily smacked her baseball-capped friend with her textbook as she walked out of the room with them. "Shut up."

_Second day of school and already I made two friends that seem like they want to kill each other, _Hiro thought in amazement.

"Math class should be different," Lily returned as she rolled her eyes and walked into the math classroom. "I think you'd like to be the pet of Ms. Gunner."

Hiro nodded. "Yeah, I think I can tell," he agreed.

* * * * * * * *

As math class passed by, Hiro and Lily looked around the class to see a majority of the boys (including Marcus) trying to impress Ms. Gunner. "Now, as Grade 11 may have taught you, the object here is to use either the processes of elimination, or substitution," the pretty teacher explained as she wrote two equations on her whiteboard. "If we are supposed to eliminate, though, what has to happen to the two values we plan to isolate in our final product?"

Almost every guy raised their hand, even though some of them clearly did not know the answer to the question at all. "Jeez, this is pathetic..." a female student could be heard muttering from Hiro's seat.

"I hope all of them know she's a little above their age..." another female voice muttered back.

"I hope they know it's _illegal..."_

Lily sweatdropped at the situation and noticed that Hiro was one of the only males who didn't raise his hand up – instead, he was writing something on his paper very quickly. Ms. Gunner smirked as she raised an eyebrow at her class. "Bonus marks to whoever gets this right."

Some hands went down, hesitantly. "Let's see..." the brunette murmured as she looked to the back. "Um...Hiro? You look like you have the answer."

Everyone looked right towards Hiro, who was still writing. He was so focused, he was a bit taken aback when he realized that everyone was looking at him. "Oh!" he exclaimed. He scratched the back of his head. "You have to make sure that the two values in the two equations are the same co...coughuhhh...co – "

"Co-efficient?" Ms. Gunner finished.

"Yes, before you calculate the two equations together."

"Excellent! That is correct," Ms. Gunner replied as she began to finish the equation. "To do this, we may have to multiply the variables so that they are the same co-efficient – in this case, we have 3x and 2x, so we'll have to multiply both by each other in order to get 6x..."

A handful of classmates sighed in relief and victory as they realized they were right, some were shocked that that was how it was done, and a few were jealous. "You're really on the ball today, Hiro," Lily replied as Hiro checked his answers. "Are you a math person?"

The Japanese boy nodded. "Numbers were easier to me than words," he replied. He narrowed his eyes as he glared at the notes. "Especially how 'there' can mean two other things when they are spelled differently..."

Lily sweatdropped. Hiro might need help for English class next year...

* * * * * * * *

Classes ended, and Hiro looked up to see Lily and Marcus arrive on schedule. "Hey, Super-Hiro!" Marcus grinned as he walked up to Hiro and held out his hand for a high-five. "What's hanging?"

Hiro blinked as he looked up at the hand, before he high-fived it. "You seem very happy, Howard-_san."_

Marcus shrugged. "Well, when you've got a free period at the end of this particular day, you can't complain," he bragged. "Anyway, we can't walk home with you today, man, sorry about that."

Hiro looked confused. "You...you were going to walk with me again?" he wondered, pleasantly surprised that they wanted to walk him home.

Lily nodded. "I've got a family thing at this restaurant," the long-haired girl sighed, not looking very pleased about this event.

"And I'm just going home right away to relax," Marcus explained, giving a sigh. "With tomorrow off for teachers' professional development, I'm just gonna sit back and take in the lovely Thursday."

Lily smirked. "Remember to actually study for the test we have in Social, as well as your Math," she reminded him lightly as she walked off. "See you, Hiro!"

Hiro waved back at her. "See you, Nguyen-_chan!" _he called. "Enjoy your family dinner!"

Marcus smirked as Hiro turned back to him. "So..." he murmured coyly, readjusting his blazer cuffs. "You and Lily, huh?"

Hiro blinked, not understanding what Howard-_san _was implying. "What about me and Nguyen-_chan?" _he wondered.

"Nothing, nothing," Marcus just said as he walked off as well. "See you, Super-Hiro."

Hiro looked at his friend's back as he walked away. "Um, see you, Howard-_san," _he replied, blinking in confusion, before he walked out the door to go back home.

* * * * * * * *

_**September 29, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence**_

Hiro woke up at around 8:45, the time school usually started. He sat up and yawned as he stretched, glad he could sleep in today to make up for staying up late to do homework.

It was when he was downstairs preparing a big breakfast that Eric approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Hiro, I'm heading off to my internet café today to check up on it," he said.

Hiro blinked. "You have a internet café?" he repeated.

"Yeah, I do, and it's great. You wanna come check it out since you have nothing else to do?"

It was true; Hiro really didn't have anything to do at the moment, so he nodded as he slid some eggs from a frying pan onto a plate. "Okay, what's it called?"

Eric grinned as he placed some bread in the toaster. "It's got the best name ever," his uncle boasted.

_*** * * * * * ***_

_**September 29, 2016  
**_"_**Wired Up" Internet Café **_

"'Wired Up'?" Hiro echoed, reading the neon on the front window as his uncle opened the door.

"Well, computers do have a lot of cords," Eric explained as he walked in. "Plus, it's a pun on the phrase 'fired up' and 'I'm so wired' since they both mean the same thing more or less. A cool, hip internet café should have a cool, hip name!"

_I had no idea that 'fired up' and 'I'm so wired' were still in-date in North America, _Hiro thought with a roll of his eyes as he walked in. He looked around at the black flat-screen monitors glowing brightly at each desk, as well as the laser mice set on mousepads with some very interesting designs.

Eric grinned as he placed his hands on his hips. "I am definitely loving the upgrades we got this year," he boasted. "Glad we had those donations, even though I was fine with the larger monitors and older towers."

"What, these clunky, outdated boxes of metal?" a familiar voice retorted from an office. Error tones of a computer could be heard from inside the room, as well as what sounded like a fist slamming down on a desk. "Ugh, they function about as nicely as the Russians did in the Cold War."

Hiro blinked. "Hey, well, at least _we _have supplies," Eric shot back as he stood at the office doorframe and looked inside. "Didn't know you were here so early, Drew. You need anything?"

"Ah, well, I would like to know what's wrong with this horrible piece of technology that you still want me to fix," the man inside responded with a weak chuckle.

Eric waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, don't worry about it right now, we've got enough nice and new computers that will appeal way more to the public." He looked towards Hiro. "Hey, wanna meet one of the employees that work in this fine place?"

Hiro nodded, and approached the door. "This is Andrew," Eric introduced as he opened the door a bit more. "Andrew, meet my nephew – "

Hiro froze as he suddenly realized that the brown-haired man sitting at the desk inside, who was momentarily glaring at a Blue Screen of Death that was now looking surprised towards Hiro, was none other than...

"_Hiro?" _the Social teacher gasped, lowering his glasses to stare at Hiro through wide blue eyes.

"Mr. Mackenzie!" Hiro said back, equally as surprised. "What are you doing here?!"

Eric blinked. "You two know each other?" he asked, looking back from Hiro's face to Mr. Mackenzie – well, Andrew's face.

"Yes, he is my teacher," Hiro simply stated, still staring wide-eyed in disbelief at said teacher.

"And he is my student," Mr. Mackenzie said in the same tone, also gazing amazedly at said student.

Eric punched his hand with his fist. "Oh, yeah, you're a teacher at Prince Royale! That's the school where Hiro goes to, I should have guessed!" He looked towards Hiro with a frown. "Why didn't you tell me that Andrew Mackenzie was your teacher?"

Hiro looked away sheepishly. "I was not aware you knew him as a friend..." he muttered.

Eric looked towards Mr. Mackenzie. "Then why didn't you tell me Hiro was your student, Drew?" he demanded.

"Do you really want me to say more or less the exact same thing Hiro did?" Mr. Mackenzie responded, still a bit dazed. He shook his head and returned back to his original composure as he cleared his throat. "Good to meet you more personally, though, Hiro. I hope, however, that you still realize that I am your teacher, and you are my student. That status levelling much be acknowledged at all times."

Hiro nodded, still feeling a bit awkward about this. "Y- yeah, same here," he replied.

Eric rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, you're such a stick in the mud!" he grinned, then looked away rather seriously as he muttered, "Better give him good grades or else."

"What was that?" Mackenzie rasped hoarsely, staring up at his superior with wide, fearful eyes.

"Uncle!" Hiro snapped, narrowing his eyes. "Don't joke like that!"

Eric chuckled sinisterly as he looked up at the ceiling. "Who said I was joking...?" he murmured, prompting both Hiro and Mackenzie to exchange nervous glances. His wide grin returned as he gave a thumbs-up. "Ah, you know I am! Anyway, who's up for some drinks?"

Silence.

"What?" the man asked, blinking at the two of them. "Hiro, you're eighteen, and Drew, you're allowed to drink off your teaching, it's a free day today."

"Aside from the obvious, don't you think it's a little early to be drinking at this time of day...?" Mr. Mackenzie pointed out, pulling back his black jacket sleeve and pointing at his watch. "It's only 10:47, and we didn't even have lunch yet."

"I'll treat you guys to lunch," Eric huffed as he took out his phone and pulled out a bottle of what looked like some type alcohol. "Pizza or Chinese?"

Hiro and Mackenzie sweatdropped. "Is that...vodka...?" the teacher croaked nervously.

Before they could say anything more, Eric had already pulled out three glasses as well and placed them on the coffee table inside the office. "Well, it's very light vodka," he reassured, pouring the contents of the bottle inside each of the glasses. "Chinese it is!"

Eric then went over to phone a Chinese restaurant for take-out, leaving Hiro and Mackenzie alone to talk. "So why are you here again?" Hiro asked as politely as he could as he stared down at his glass.

"Well, let's just say student loans pulled out a lot from my funds. And I'm good with computers, so I applied here when this place was pretty new, and I've been working here part-time ever since last year for extra cash.

"I understand that, but did you really have to be hard on Mr. Howard for the essay?" Hiro brought up, feeling a little uncertain and uncomfortable about this.

Andrew picked up a glass from the table and took a sip. "Well, in all fairness...I gave the class that Enlightenment report notice a week ago," he explained. He looked away. "As well as the fact that Marcus should exercise his writing skills and personal insight as well. I would like to say it's nothing personal, but..." He paused. "But, well...we teachers are human too." He took another gulp and gasped. "Wow this is strong."

Hiro continued to look down at his own glass. "Yeah, but I don't think I should drink it," he murmured. He gulped. "Never drank a alcohol in my entire life."

"Well, you're legal age anyway. Personally, I would say try it. Just remember that just because you're legal age doesn't mean you can go to the school drunk if you ever do - the district rules forbid that and so that's a notwithstanding clause."

Hiro nodded as he noted this, noting as well that he should look up what a notwithstanding clause exactly was. "But I don't know if I should..." he continued to protest.

Eric came walking by after calling take-out. He returned to the two and did something that no one should ever do. "Hiro, stop being wimpy and drink it already, but let me help," he scoffed.

Hiro was questioning his uncle as to how he was going to help – _I mean, it was very simple, just take a sip, right?_ he assumed.

His uncle way of helping was definitely simple. Just not very ethical.

Eric grabbed Hiro's glass, tilted Hiro's head back sharply, and poured it in his mouth, making him take it in one gulp. "Down the hatch!" he said.

Hiro gasped and coughed madly as his hands flew up to his throat. _"Shit, it burns!"_ he rasped.

"M - Mr. Johnson, was that really necessary?!" Mackenzie demanded, recoiling in his chair.

Eric, however, began to cry manly tears. "My little nephew's first drink, they grow up so fast," he exclaimed tearfully.

Andrew and Hiro sweatdropped at what is happening in front of them. Eric grabbed his own glass and downed half of it in one gulp, prompting them to sweat even more. "Ahh, that feels great," he sighed. He sat down in a chair and looked up at them. "So, we were talking about the school? My wife works there, substitute part-time I believe."

Mackenzie blinked as he snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah, she's one of the female sports teams' coaches, isn't she?" he acknowledged as he poured himself another glass.

Hiro's ears twitched. "She is a coach?!" he echoed incredulously.

Eric nodded. "Volleyball," he said as he picked up the bottle and poured himself one too, taking a huge gulp immediately again.

Hiro spaced out as he imagined Luna spiking a volleyball with such intensity to an unfortunate student. Eric's eyes sparkled as he leaned back on his chair and sipped his glass casually. "She's definitely keeping her figure with all that training, I'll say that..."

Hiro and Mackenzie froze rigid as the teacher's face turned pink. "I think that's a little too much information, Mr. Johnson," he responded abruptly, bringing the glass up towards his lips.

The older man smirked deviously. It was then that Hiro pulled his headset over his ears and pulled out a cord from his pants pocket, quickly plugging it into the side of the headphones. "Well, she hasn't gotten left behind with the young, she's still as fit and fine as ever," his uncle murmured. "Oh, man, has she still got it all, whoo!"

Mackenzie downed his glass in one gulp, and Hiro turned up the volume louder on his music player. _Damn it, uncle, shut up about talking about aunt Luna's body in front of me, _he thought.

"Hiro, what are you thinking?"

His nephew quickly shook his head and held out the bottle to his teacher. "Do you need any more of this?"

Andrew puts down his glass on the table a bit too forcefully. "N - no, I think I'm good," he responded. "You shouldn't be offering me alcolol - sorry, alcohol anyway, Hiro, you're my student, and I am your teacher, remember that." He gave a tipsy glare. "Got it?

Hiro began to sheepishly laugh when he realized that his teacher might be drunk. He needed proof that he _was _actually drunk at this stage though, but what? "Oh, I wanted to ask you something about my homework, sir," the boy began. He pulled out a folded piece of paper (that was his schedule in actuality) and held it up quickly at a certain distance.

Mackenzie immediately backed away. "Oh wow," he muttered. "Either my glasses need to be upgraded again or I'm just dizzy." He grabbed the bottle from Eric's hand before the older man could pour himself another drink. "The hell is in this stuff anyway..."

Eric, who appeared to have a high drinking metabolism or whatnot and was not even tipsy yet said, "It's light vodka. No one should be drunk right away."

"No, no!" The younger man held up the bottle and pointed at it. "Either that says 10% or 70%! This is one of those times where I would like to see a 10% on the results, Mr. Johnson."

Hiro sweatdropped and still attempted to block them out with his headset. "Oh, please, 70% is considered a failing grade in the United States anyway," Eric chuckled.

Mackenzie gulped. "Well, this..." He raised a finger. "This...this is Canada. Not the United States." The finger pointed at Hiro. "You better know that for the test tomorrow."

Hiro sighed. How much longer would he have to endure this...?

* * * * * * * *

_**September 29 – 30, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence**_

Hiro sighed as he plopped back down on his bed. _Finally, I finished everything, _he thought with relief, sitting back up. He looked towards the notes on his computer. _Mr. Mackenzie really gives out a lot of notes. I have no idea how he has time to make all this and then work at the café part-time..._

Hiro sweatdropped. _I hope I will be able to sit in his classes again without seeing him drunk, _he prayed. With that he stood back up and sat back down on his computer, saving and closing the document, and getting ready to close his internet browser.

Suddenly, a popup appeared, and a video began to play. A man stood in front of the camera, dressed in a unique purple-striped, dark suit. His hair was jet black, tied back in a short ponytail, and spiked to one side. However, what made him stand out was a strange mask across his face – it was white with violet, opaque lens, and covered up most of his right side.

The masked man gave a crooked smirk, and the camera panned out to show the whole stage. "Welcome to The Wake of Dawn!" he bellowed. "I'm your host, Blitzkrieg, and we are here to give you some entertainment!"

Hiro blinked. This man didn't seem to be hiding anything suspicious. _What the hell is thisf..._he thought uneasily, leaning closer to his monitor.

Blitzkrieg grinned. "Today, we have a special guest on our game show." He beckoned back to his left. "Say hello, everyone, to Mary-Ann Larson!"

Hiro's eyes widened as the camera panned to a brown-haired woman hanging from the ceiling, tied up in rope.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_


	4. Unexplainable Events

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
**__**Chapter 4: Unexplainable Events**_

* * *

_**September 30, 2016  
The Johnson Residence  
**_

Hiro's eyes were glued to his computer monitor's screen as he saw a woman in a video hanging from the ceiling, bound by rope. The bound woman's screams were muffled from a white cloth gag, and she was struggling fervently to get free. "Today we will see if our player can escape from this rope in five minutes, before being eaten alive from my little friends," Blitzkrieg drawled.

He gestured below her. A tank of black, shadowy-like sharks swam around impatiently, waiting to be fed. Hiro's eyes still widened, wondering if this was just a big joke. They weren't going to seriously...?!

The woman's eyes widened. She began to scream louder, to no avail as she choked against the gag, and squirmed furiously. Tears ran down her eyes as she tried desperately to go free, and Hiro could do nothing but watch in dumbstruck horror. Blitzkrieg shook his head. "Well, it looks like she can't get out," he said. "She tried her best but can't get out. Oh, wait, I said five minutes didn't I?" He shrugged. "I lied, I meant five seconds."

The crowd chuckled as he turned towards them. "So I ask of you, the audience...should we let her go or should she die right here?"

With that, Blitzkrieg pulled out a sharp knife from his pocket, and with perfect aim threw it on the weakest mark of the rope. The rope was severed, and the woman fell into the tank. Hiro grabbed the edges of his computer. "Why is nobody helping her?!" he yelled futilely, his eyes fixated on the monitor. "Somebody _help her!"_

The woman began to scream for help, but her screams became pain-stricken as the strange sharks immediately advanced on her. One chomped her arm, and in the next second it was severed. Hiro watched as she continued to shriek and cry out, shocked at all the blood leaking out from her limb. He could faintly make out her skin peeling, and could see splints floating from a visible bone.

"What is going on..." he uttered fearfully.

His ears finally regained their senses, as he began to hear chanting from the audience. His shock and horror increased when he heard the words they chanted:

"Kill her, kill her, kill her!"

At this point, the screaming woman had no limbs left on her. The water had become completely reddened, and one badly maimed arm thrashed in the red, trying to climb uselessly against the edges. The crowd continued to chant, and Hiro continued to watch like an innocent, useless bystander.

It was then that this Blitzkrieg began to walk up to the shark tank. "Ahh, I love a woman who screams a lot," he murmured, "but you're not my type at all. It's funny to see you like this, but allow me to humour you a bit more."

He reached into his other pocket, and pulled out a handgun. He grabbed her arm, held her still, and pointed the gun at her head. "Do you know what a person screams after being shot?" he asked her coolly.

He pulled the trigger, and Hiro couldn't help but flinch entirely as he looked away briefly. When he turned back to his monitor right away, all he saw was a brown-haired, bloodstained lump, her back exposed as she floated in red liquid. "They scream nothing at all," the host finished, blowing the smoke off of the revolver.

The man turned back to face the camera. "There you have it, folks!" he announced, and bowed amidst wild roars of applause. "Thank you, thank you. Hope you enjoyed this episode of The Wake of Dawn, we'll see you next time."

The computer was shut off instantly as Hiro crumpled off his chair and on the ground, his dinner completely ruined as well as the carpet. _What..._he thought, aghast, his body shaking uncontrollably. _Was that...?_

* * * * * * * *

_**September 30, 2016  
**__**Prince Royale Private High School**_

"Man, thank God it's all over!" Marcus gasped, walking over to Hiro and leaning against the lockers with a huge sigh. He looked up lazily. "I think I'm gonna collapse if I get any more work..."

"You didn't even touch any of it during class, you just played your PSP," Lily retorted in deadpan.

"Hey, no, no, I didn't play it," Marcus quickly rebutted. He raised a finger. "I watched a movie. It had sweet looking cars that could turn into giant robots, and it also had a hot chick!"

The visor-wearing girl just sighed. "Well, hopefully you did well on that Social test."

"...um, let's talk about something else."

"Ugh. How do you think you did, Hiro?" Lily paused when she did not hear an answer. She turned towards Hiro, who looked rather distant and disturbed. "Hiro?"

Marcus took note of it too as he tried to look closer at his friend's face. "You look pale, Super-Hiro," he murmured.

"Yeah," Lily added softly. "What's up?"

"Take it you did poorly on the test too?"

Hiro closed his locker. He shuddered briefly, and his eyes narrowed. "I...saw something...really disgusting yesterday..." he finally replied, his voice strained and weak.

Lily and Marcus raised their eyebrows, curious and concerned. "It sickens me just trying to think about what happened," Hiro continued, running a hand through his hair.

"Wh – what was it?" the blonde inquired, blinking.

Hiro looked towards him hesitantly. "Howard_-san_ – "

"You know, the formality cultural thing can be dropped for me, dude, Marcus is fine. Anyway, spit it out. What did you see?"

The boy looked away. "It's...it's called the Wake of Dawn."

Marcus instantly recoiled and slammed his back into the locker as his eyes bulged open. "The Wake of Dawn?" Lily echoed, cocking an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of it!" Marcus gasped. Lily and Hiro turned towards him with questioning glances as he shifted his eyes. "I...I've heard some creepy shit about that thing...it's an online game show that starts at around midnight." He shuddered. "The games and competitions they have on there are...really brutal..."

Hiro nodded dumbly. Lily, however, looked agitated as she glared at him. "How would you know?" she demanded. Her eyes widened. "Have...have YOU watched it?"

"We – well – "

"Why would you watch something like that?!" Lily barked at him, clenching her fists.

"Look, I wasn't watching it for entertainment purposes!" he blurted back, narrowing his eyes at her. "That's sick! I...my friends dared me and...well..."

"Well, WHAT?!"

Marcus looked away guiltily. "I...honestly couldn't watch it. I closed the video before anything happened. It...I hear it's supposed to be all digital effects and CG and whatnot but...it just seemed so..."

"Real?" Hiro finished, in the same tone.

Marcus nodded and gulped. Lily was silent, looking very frustrated with both of them. "You should not watch it if you don't feel comfortable, Nguyen-_chan_," Hiro reassured her.

Lily's scowl deepened. "I have no intentions of watching something like that. I have enough problems with reality shows as it is. Honestly, people will do ANYTHING for fame and fortune. It's sickening."

Marcus and Hiro exchanged glances. Then, Marcus took a deep breath in as he straightened his posture and turned his cap backwards. "Well, if I got the opportunity, I could take on that show!" he bellowed, pumping his fists into the air.

Hiro couldn't help but chuckle, and Lily's scowl became lighter. At that moment, Kyoko walked past them. "Oh, Kyoko!" Lily called, her scowl disappearing as she turned to the other Japanese student. "I didn't get down the notes this Social class, can I borrow yours?"

"Oh, me too?" Marcus butted in, standing next to Lily with innocent eyes. "Pleaaase? Maybe you can even come over and help me understand what Mackenzie was teaching us..."

Hiro sweatdropped. Kyoko simply took out her binder from her bag, and took out a few sheets of paper, handing them to Lily. Lily grinned at her gratefully. "Thank you so much!"

Marcus, however, pouted. "Aww..."

Hiro decided to join in the conversation. "Uh, hey, Nakamura-_chan_, how are you?" he greeted, waving a hand at her.

Lily and Marcus' heads turned to look towards Hiro. Kyoko kept the same expression on her face as she closed her binder. "I am well," she responded, placing it back in her shoulder bag. She looked up at Hiro. "You don't look so well, however."

Hiro froze. "Ah, Hiro's fine, he just watched a really gory game show last night," Marcus explained for him rather carelessly.

Kyoko's gaze seemed to become sharper as she looked directly at Hiro, and Hiro could feel himself grow uneasier. "What, what'd I say?" Marcus asked, blinking in confusion while Lily slapped a palm to her face.

"You watched The Wake of Dawn?" Kyoko asked, still focused on Hiro.

Hiro nodded slowly. "Y-yeah..." he muttered back, still not comfortable at all talking about it.

Kyoko's eyes widened, the first bits of expression that Hiro or any of them had seen from her. Lily turned her head towards her in shock. "Don't tell me that you..." the longer-haired girl began.

Kyoko's gaze sharpened. "That's none of your business," she interjected.

Lily flinched, looking at Kyoko very cautiously. Marcus shifted his eyes nervously. "Uh, so, we should be going right about now..." he said rather loudly.

Kyoko turned her back on them, but not her gaze. "You should avoid watching it," she told them. "All of you. Like Lily has implied, it isn't a good thing to watch anyway."

Hiro again could only nod. "Yeah...I guess..."

With that, Kyoko turned completely and walked away. The three could only stare towards her direction for awhile, before Lily looked towards her left uncertainly. "She's...sort of creeping me out now..." she confessed.

"It is fine, Nguyen-_chan_," Hiro reassured her. "She is only telling the truth, I don't know if she actually watches it."

Marcus nodded. "I'd be worried if she did," he added. "Then again, most of us do usually worry about her sometimes."

Lily scoffed. "You mean you do."

Marcus scoffed back. "Hey, somebody's gotta care!" He put his arms around Hiro and Lily with a smirk. "So, you guys want to head down to the arcade? I've got money I need to blow."

"Marcus, you should save your money, not just blow it all on games," Lily chided.

"Hey, I wouldn't be talking. Aren't you a shopaholic?"

"...not really."

Marcus raised an eyebrow at her. "Damn it, what kind of girl are you?"

Lily's eyes widened instantly. "Oh, why YOU - ?!"

"Guys!" Hiro butted in, instantly stepping between them.

"Arcade it is!" Marcus confirmed, dragging Hiro and Lily out the doors. "Let's go!"

"Hey, wait, stop dragging us!" Lily cried, trying to squirm out of his grip.

"If I do that, you'll run away!"

Hiro sweatdropped. "How did I get strange friends again..." he murmured as he followed them.

As he walked down the hall, he spotted Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. Craigsworth talking in the middle of the hall. Craigsworth was the first to finish as he walked back inside his office, and Mackenzie gave a sigh. It was then that Lily waved her hand. "Hey, sir!" she called as they walked on by. "Have a good weekend!"

Mackenzie blinked, and quickly waved back. Marcus just scowled at him as usual, and Mackenzie rolled his eyes back. Hiro, however, avoided the look of his teacher. _What if I failed the test? _he wondered as he looked away guiltily. _I did not know the concepts on that quiz at all..._

At that moment, Mr. Mackenzie froze. The teacher opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it right away as he looked at Hiro hesitantly. This caused Hiro's wariness to grow. _So did I fail the test? _he thought. _Maybe, but...maybe he's just worried if I might have told everyone about his other life..._

With that, Hiro just forced a smile and nodded towards his teacher. It was then that Mackenzie regained his composure as he cleared his throat and nodded towards Hiro solemnly as they crossed paths.

The problem was that something about the concern that was in Mackenzie's original look did not make Hiro feel comfortable at all.

* * * * * * * *

_**September 30, 2016  
**__**Rune Royale Arcade**_

Hiro blinked as he stepped foot into the large, clean-looking shopping center. Various decorations and attractions hung from the ceiling of the two floors, and many people walked back and forth, into one store chain to another. "So this is your guys' mall," he observed.

"Yeah, I know," Lily said. "It's fine if you're surprised to know that it's not as big as the malls in Japan."

"I don't care about the mall," Marcus scoffed as he gripped his fists determinedly. "All I care about right now is video games!"

"Idiot."

"What did you say, tomboy?"

"How do I look like a tomboy, you crybaby?!"

While Marcus and Lily argued, Hiro sweatdropped and tried to ignore the argument. He was just about to step in, when suddenly he heard something.

"Breaking news!"

Hiro's head instantly turned towards a store with a number of televisions sets inside, all broadcasting the same thing. "A robbery has just occurred at the Sunridge Mall in Northeast Calgary," a male newsreporter with brown hair and a moustache announced. "Penelope Ballantine with full live coverage. Penelope?"

The camera switched to the view of a blond, bespectacled woman wearing a grey blazer over a blue shirt. "Thanks, Joseph, Meredith Wallace here reporting in for Penelope that yes, there was quite a robbery that occurred right here in Sunridge Mall. I can't give you any details right now, for the police are still investigating what just happen – "

There was suddenly shouting, and what looked like a female ran past the camera from a distance, followed by several uniformed men that looked like police officers. "Wait, there appears to be some type of disturbance with the apprehended culprit!" the female reporter gasped, turning behind her.

The camera zoomed in to the girl who was currently struggling. Hiro's eyes widened, and he recoiled instantly. "It can't be!" he gasped.

Lily and Marcus finally stopped their argument, hearing what Hiro had said. "It can't be what, Hiro?" the girl asked.

Hiro turned towards them. "That girl I saw in The Wake of Dawn show," he uttered.

Marcus and Lily's eyes widened as they turned towards the screens instantly, watching as the girl was being dragged back into a police car. "It appears that she is trying to escape, which does not bode well for this woman, as she will be faced with more police charges," the female reporter finished. "We will have more on this later, back to you, Joseph."

"Thank you, Meredith, and we will be back with more soon. Now back to your regular showing."

Hiro suddenly fell down on his knees, sweating as though someone had just tortured him. "Hiro, are you okay?" Lily gasped as she and Marcus quickly rushed to his side.

Hiro buried his face in his hand. "How..." he hissed. "What is going on...?"

"I don't get what you are talking about," Marcus murmured, looking concerned.

The black-haired boy looked up at him. "She was the victim...how is she alive...?"

"Yeah, people these days," Lily murmured, looking lost in thought.

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Wow, you sound like an old lady," he muttered.

The "tomboy"'s eye twitched. "What was THAT?!" Lily snapped, immediately whirling to face him completely.

"I SAID SOUND, I SAID SOUND!" Marcus squeaked, quickly raising his hands.

Lily would not have it as her bag smacked across his head. "Owwww..." Marcus whined as he rubbed his head while sprawled on the ground.

Hiro looked up at her, feeling less dizzy now. "Ms. Nguyen, that didn't seem very ladylike," he commented lightly.

Lily pursed her lips disapprovingly. "Well, Mr. Howard didn't say something very gentlemanly," she growled.

Hiro stood up. "Yeah, that is true, Lily. You have a point."

Marcus glared up at him. "Which side are you on, guy?!"

"So, what about a arcade you were telling us about, Howard-_san_...?" Hiro brought up, trying to change the subject.

Marcus grinned as he bolted right back on his feet. "It's supposed to be the biggest in Calgary," he beamed.

"Hopefully you have the money to pay for it," Lily pointed out.

Marcus reached into his pocket casually. "Relax, of course I..."

Suddenly he froze as his hand stopped. His left eye twitched. "Uh oh," he croaked.

A pause.

"...what do you mean, 'uh oh'?" Hiro asked, not liking where this was going.

"Well, Super-Hiro, over here in North America, when something bad happens – "

"He means WHY are you saying 'uh oh'!" Lily groused, also not liking where this was going.

"And when still questioning you, why do you call me 'Super-Hiro'?" Hiro added on.

"I'll explain that later," Marcus quickly responded, pulling out his hand and looking around nervously. "My wallet is missing, and I have to find it!"

Hiro and Lily narrowed their eyes – somehow, this was to be expected. "Then where did you leave it, Mr. Howard?" Hiro was the first to question.

Marcus began to pace anxiously. "I'm thinking right now." He looked back up at Hiro. "And didn't I tell you just to call me Marcus? Jeez, don't need to be formal around me."

"Okay, Howard-_san_."

"Gaaah." Marcus raised a finger. "Okay, let's completely reverse our steps and check everywhere, THEN we take the train and the bus we went on and then go to the stations and – "

Lily sweatdropped. "Marcus, do you even have the money to do all this?"

"Oh, right," the blonde blinked, then slammed a hand to his forehead. "Damn it!" He began to think again as he paced, when suddenly, an invisible lightbulb turned on instantly. He slowly turned his head towards Hiro and Lily with a big smile on his face.

Hiro and Lily immediately felt very, very uncomfortable. _Don't tell me what he is about to ask is... _they thought in unison.

"Can you guys do any cool performances to allow us to have enough money?"

Lily and Hiro nearly fell flat on their faces. "YOU IDIOT, WE'LL JUST USE MY MONEY!" Lily snapped, looking ready to pummel him.

"I can spare several of mine too," Hiro added, holding up his wallet.

"Better be more than a few dimes or yen, that's for sure," Marcus told them, readjusting his glasses very seriously.

Hiro suddenly blinked in confusion. He scratched the back of his head as he raised an eyebrow at them. "What are dimes?"

Marcus and Lily sweatdropped. "Oh, I remember!" Hiro gasped, and pulled out a nickel from his wallet. "These five-cent things, right?"

* * * * * * * *

_**September 30, 2016  
**__**The Howard Residence**_

Marcus put down his phone back on the receiver. "Damn it," he groused. "I called every station in the city that uses that bus we took and the train...and we already went down to Customer Service five times..."

Hiro and Lily exchanged nervous glances. "It's okay, Howard-san," Hiro tried to say, giving a forced smile. "What is the worst that could happen?"

Marcus sat down on his couch, his face grim. "My credit will be used up and I'll have to pay more...my bus pass will be taken by joyriders...my social insurance and Alberta Health Care card can be stolen..."

Lily nearly choked. "Who puts a social insurance and health care card in their wallet?!" she gasped, looking up at him in disbelief.

"Hey, hey, tons of adults do!" her friend argued back. "And I am an adult!"

"It is okay, Marcus," Hiro comforted him again. "I'm sure it will turn up somewhere sooner or later."

Marcus just seemed to become more depressed. "Thanks, Super-Hiro, but I doubt it will..." he murmured.

Hiro was still not giving up as he raised a finger. "Well, if not today, then tomorrow is another day. Maybe it will be at school."

There was suddenly a long, heavy pause.

It was Lily who spoke up first. "Marcus...?"

"Yes, Lily...?"

"Did you forget it at school...?"

"...maybe."

Lily and Hiro both groaned together. "See?" the black-haired boy said. "At least it is safe."

"I still need it!" Marcus bawled, clutching thin air with his hands.

"Get it tomorrow," Lily retorted irritably.

"But my bus pass is in there! And everything else!"

"So? If it's in your locker – "

"I still don't feel safe with it in my locker!" Marcus screeched. He clenched the hair poking out from the sides of his cap. "Those blue-collar janitors...what if they take it?!! I can't let that happen!"

As though hit by a sudden revelation, the boy stood up from the couch. "Guys, we gotta go back to the school," Marcus announced firmly.

"Ehh?!!" both Asians exclaimed, eyes widening.

Marcus didn't break his expression or posture as he lifted his head. "We gotta sneak in to the school, and get my wallet back," he finished.

Hiro and Lily's eyes widened even more as they leaned forward. _"Ehhh?!"_ they cried.

"No way!" the Vietnamese student first protested. "This will ruin our reputation!"

Marcus scoffed. "What reputation?! We're breaking into a place, that will make us badass!"

Hiro groaned again. _Great, in my new school, I will become a criminal, _he thought grimly. However, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine, let's do it," he muttered.

Lily was shocked. "Hiro, are you serious?!" she rasped, blinking in disbelief.

"Yeah, Super-Hiro, that's the spirit!" Marcus grinned, glad that he had at least one of his friends' support.

Hiro looked up at Marcus. "But when will we sneak in?"

Marcus smirked deviously. "At midnight."

"WHAT?!" Lily spluttered. "Why so late? And Hiro, you do realize this isn't being a superhero at all, right?!"

Hiro looked back at her, trying to come up with an excuse. "But Nguyen-chan, I am retrieving something," he protested. He sweatdropped and gave a faux smile. "It's like a rescue mission?"

Lily narrowed her eyes grimly as she sighed. "Fine, let's do it," she growled. "But what about your uncle and aunt? They will worry."

"Actually, they will allow me to go only just once."

Her eyebrow arched. "Why is that?"

Hiro shifted his eyes. "Uh. My aunt is a close friend to one of the teachers, so yeah, haha!"

"Oooh, is it Ms. Gunner?"

Lily resisted the urge to dropkick Marcus. "Let's just get ready..." she grumbled, standing up.

Hiro looked up at her and Marcus. "Just tell your parents you will be sleeping over at my house today," he suggested.

The two nodded and said "okay" as Hiro grabbed the phone to call the Johnsons. "You know, you're lucky Hiro is being nice for you," the girl whispered to Marcus.

The boy nodded. "I'm also lucky that it is only Friday, we have the weekend to hang out!" he pointed out.

Lily blinked. "Oh right...you can't get your wallet tomorrow then..." she realized, and sighed.

"So, yeah, sleepover for the whole weekend at Hiro's house!" Marcus whooped, jumping on the couch and pumping his fists in the air.

Hiro, who had just hung up, was about to say it would only be for one day, but he gave up even saying it – at this point, he knew that Marcus was stubborn.

* * * * * * * *

_**September 30 – October 1, 2016  
**__**Prince Royale Private High School**_

Hands began rummaging through a quickly thrown-down backpack. "Okay, time to test out my lock-picking skills and observations of how these doors lock," Marcus muttered, taking out various things – a crowbar, some pins and a library card.

Lily flushed as she lowered her visor. "Th - this is ridiculous! I feel like such a criminal..." she hissed, and looked down at the black sweater, skirt, tights and shoes she had donned. "Wearing all this black too..."

Hiro shook his head,readjusting his headphones around the black sweater he wore. "Howard-san, you don't need to do that," he said as he looked over the side of the fence at the entrance.

Marcus' gloved hand stopped midway from pulling out a solder. "Why not?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

Lily blinked. "Yeah, Hiro, why not?"

"Well...the door is wide open."

Marcus and Lily immediately poked their heads over the fence to see the doors of the main entrance, exactly as Hiro had said, wide open. "How..." Lily began.

"Don't question it let's go," Marcus immediately hissed, dragging them as he dashed towards the building without hesitation.

"Hey, stop dragging us!"

"This is quick transportation so shut up!"

When they stepped inside the dark campus, Marcus pulled out three flashlights from his bag and gave one each to Lily and Hiro. "Okay, my locker's down here," Marcus whispered, turning on his flashlight and adjusting his glasses as they headed straight forward down the hall and then left. With that, he found his locker, quickly unlocked it, and yanked the door open. "HA!" he exclaimed.

Silence as Lily and Hiro looked at him in anticipation. Marcus' face fell, just as Hiro suddenly began to hear a faint, almost creepy laughter down the hall. "Did you hear that?!" Hiro hissed, looking up alertly as he aimed his flashlight down the other hall.

Lily jumped. "Somebody's here!" she gasped, turning off her flashlight instantly and shaking Marcus' arm. "Crap, Marcus!"

"My wallet isn't here..."

"What!?" both dark-haired students exclaimed in disbelief.

Marcus gritted his teeth. "We gotta find it!" he demanded as he whirled around.

Lily shook her head furiously. "Howard, there is somebody else in the school right now!"

Suddenly, there was faint chanting heard down the other hall. _One, two, three..._

Hiro jumped as he turned his flashlight back behind him. "There, that voice!" he uttered.

_Four, five, six, I can hear noisy kids..._

Marcus and Lily looked towards the direction cautiously as Hiro took a step back.

_Seven, eight, nine, I want their flesh..._

There was another round of ominous laughter, and Hiro froze absolutely rigid. Lily looked towards Hiro. "Hiro...I didn't hear anything..."

"What...?!"

The other boy nodded. "Yeah, neither do I..." Marcus murmured. He readjusted his glasses and sighed. "Hiro, you know, if you're not okay with this, we can go home now, really..."

_Boy, nice try,_ the voice began to echo again. _You can't run from me and neither can your friends...even though you're the only one that can hear me._

Hiro felt his blood turn cold. He lowered his gaze. "I'm going to check it out," he told them, and began to walk towards the direction of the strange voice.

"H - Hiro – !"

Hiro shook his head as he turned his head back to look at them. "You guys try to find Howard-_san_'s wallet," he instructed. "I'll be fine."

The girl was not convinced as she looked away. Marcus bowed his head towards him. "Hiro, you're a good man." With that he pulled out schedule and closed his locker. "Alright, here's the classes I had today, we gotta go in the classrooms..."

They walked off. Lily cast an uncertain glance at Hiro before she followed Marcus. _Boy, don't you know it is bad to always split up in school at night? _the voice began again.

Hiro began to start walking down the dark hallway. It unnerved and bothered him that this looked similar to one of those horror films that people always watched. Hiro keeps walking down with his flashlight – every step he took in this direction, the voice becomes clearer. _I like the flesh and blood of a virgin, but I smell no such blood in you, boy, _it chuckled. _I smell the blood of a boy who had it stolen._

Hiro's eyes widened, and he began to tremble. _But I even love human blood of those who have had their virginity taken away as well, _it drawled. It laughed again. At this point, Hiro was uncertain as to whether this was a good idea or not, but he shook his head and continued to keep going down the hall, towards the voice.

He wasn't going to stop, no matter what it would say. No matter how much was true...

Finally, he reached his destination. It was a barely open door, with a dim light emitting from the space. The boy looked into to the room and saw what appeared to be the computer lab. Hiro slowly put his hand on the doorknob, even though he was practically shaking in fear of what was on the other side. He took a deep breath, summoned up his courage, and opened it.

Before he took a step again, he poked his head inside and looked around. There was a flickering monitor at the far end of the room, farthest from the door. Hiro began to walk inside towards the computer, gripping his flashlight tightly. As soon as he was standing right in front of it, he saw Marcus's wallet right next to the tower.

At that moment, the voice spoke up clearly.

_Found what you were looking for? I have._

Hiro's head whipped towards the monitor again. The flashlight dropped from his hand. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't afraid of what was happening right now, but he had to be brave and grab Howard-_san_'s wallet and meet up with them again. Slowly, he began to reach for the wallet, and grabbed it.

Safe. He could escape now.

The voice that spoke up next was far deeper than the first.

_I don't think so._

The monitor stopped flickering, and a blurry image of an almost inhuman figure appeared on the screen. It extended its arm, and before Hiro could react properly, a grotesque, dripping hand came out of the screen and grabbed onto his arm.

_You think that I will give up that easily, boy?_ The original voice from earlier sniggered. Hiro's eyes bulged wide open. He struggled furiously, trying to get out of this strange thing's grip. _Your blood is perfect for a wonderful feast._

Panic fully kicked in as Hiro's heart raced. He opened his mouth to scream for help, until another arm came out of the screen and covered his mouth. _Not going to let you go boy, for you are also the main attraction for the feast_, the voice hissed, and somehow, Hiro could make out a face in front of his eyes smirk.

It was then that he heard an irritating feedback fill his ears as he felt himself being pulled in to the screen. Hiro kicked and flailed, but it was to no avail as the grip increased. _Don't be shy, come on in, _the voice cackled.

Against his will, Hiro was pulled in deeper and deeper as he cried against the inhuman hand. The last thing that was left from his presence before he was completely sucked in was Marcus' wallet as it dropped to the ground, next to his flashlight.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_


	5. The Awakening

___**Author's Notes:**_

_Xin Fyrrae: __Hey, guys, thanks for sticking with Persona X up to now. Things are finally going to get intense now. Reviews, feedback and comments are always greatly appreciated – please let us know how we're doing and thank you once again!  
__KingHiro: __as she said thank for your review and feedbacks, for this is my story collab with someone so thank you again and enjoy reading._

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
Chapter 5: The Awakening**_

* * *

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**????**_

Hiro blinked groggily as he opened up his eyes and sat up, only to gasp and stagger back as he looked around the strange room he was in. He stood up cautiously, trying to see through the dark room. At that moment, a spotlight turned on, and Hiro was shocked to see blood splattered all over the wall.

"_Finally."_

The spotlight moved behind him. Hiro turned around to see...himself? In light blue pajamas...the same ones that he wore when...

The image of himself across from him opened its eyes – yellow, dark empty orbs. _"You know what?" _this Hiro said in Japanese. His voice was almost exactly like Hiro's own, and echoed eerily as he shook his head and extended his arms. _"This world is so pathetic."_

Hiro took a cautious step back. The other Hiro shrugged. _"It's true, isn't it?" _he continued. _"This world we live in...how can we trust people? I know one thing for sure is that how can I trust anyone anymore." _He scratched the back of his head. _"Parents died at such a young age, making me, Ai and Akira orphans. We were living as orphans for five years, I thought that the lady who worked there and took care of my family was nice to me and my siblings."_

The other Hiro looked up. _"Of course...there's usually a reason why these kind of people are nice...you remember, right?" _he asked.

Hiro didn't answer; he was still in shock as why there was an apparatus of him – no, another him from across his view. The other Hiro smirked. _"Do you remember..."_ he began, and then slowly began to unbutton his shirt with a weak, sultry look on his face. _"When she started...doing...this...?"_

It was then that Hiro's attention was drawn fully to what this other him was saying, and he froze. _"N – no," _he hissed, flinching. _"Stop it..."_

"_That's what I remember saying too,"_ the other Hiro chuckled wryly. _"Looks like the event is still...there...no matter how much I try to not remember it..." _He clutched his shirt. _"She was tucking me in at night...she gave me her goodnight kiss...but then from there..."_

"_No..."_ Hiro continued to whisper, his Japanese shaking as he backed away a few more steps, his eyes widening in horror – in _remembrance _of this. _"No..."_

"_No....no..."_ the other Hiro continued in the same tone, expressing the same look on Hiro's face. _"I kept saying that as her lips moved down my exposed figure...then..."_ His other hand lingered towards the hem of pants. _"She went...down here..."_ His voice changed to mock imitate a soft-speaking woman. _"'I'll make you feel better about losing your mom and dad...I can make you feel much, more, better...'"_

The other Hiro's eyes narrowed. _"But she didn't..."_ he choked. _"That bitch...she destroyed my pride...she shamed me, how could I ever be the man of the family when she did THAT to me...?" _

The other Hiro stopped, sighed, and folded his arms. _"Of course, more shit had to happen after that,"_ he scoffed. He raised a finger. _"Refresh my memory again about that bitch I dated in middle school..."_

Shock overwhelmed Hiro as his eyes widened again. Another painful memory he tried to forget was being brought out again from this other him! _"Yeah, when I was fourteen..."_ the other Hiro murmured. _"Yeah, that bitch! I think I still remember her name, oh yeah...her name was...was..."_

Hiro flinched. _"Oh yeah, Sora Sato,"_ the other Hiro finished as he placed his fist in his hand. He shook his head. _"She was the most popular in middle school and well, when me and her looked at each other, we felt love for another – love at first sight. At that moment, we began to date for one year."_ He chuckled as he looked back up at Hiro. _"This was supposed to be a happy moment for any guy, right? I mean, after all that crap from years ago, I'm finally getting a break, eh?"_

The smile turned into a scowl. _"Guess I was wrong' it was my worst nightmare beginning," _he scowled. _"That BITCH...started to flirt with another guy behind MY back..." _He buried his face into his hands. _"I was being so stupid! I thought she was just being friendly with him for being the new transfer student. That was a stupid idea for everyday of my life she began to go over to him, hang out with him after school, and telling me she just wants to hang out with him even though we were going out._

_Again being the idiot I was back in middle school I shrugged it off, thinking she wanted to make a new best friend. But on that one day when it was finally going to be a year and a half anniversary of going out, she did something I will never forget." _

He looked up from shaking fingers. _"She told me that it was going to be the two of us celebrating our long-term relationship near the mall,"_ he began. _"So I thought it was going to be are first time spending alone time with each other, but that broke my hope and cracked my heart when I arrived at the mall. Remember this?"_

Hiro's own hands were on his head too – how could he forget? _"There she was, the girl I love, making out with this bastard who just transferred to our school,"_ the other Hiro explained. _"I stood there watching in front of what is happening wondering why, why, why to myself, I kept questioning myself about this, until she started to look at me."_

He narrowed his eyes again. _"She began to smile right at me, a pitying smile, and shouted out loud for everyone near the mall to hear the words that broke me down – "_

"_Stop it, shut up, shut up, shut up!" _Hiro cried. _"Don't say it!"_

The other Hiro just ignored him. _"She just shouted at me that we were through, and what made my heart shatter completely was when she finally added that the one year spending time with you were nothing special at all, I never loved you at all, I just felt bad of your sad attempt to ask me out in front of everyone so that's why I went out with you, and I felt bad about breaking up with you until now._

_That slut broke my heart, it felt like the end of the world. For that, I began to distrust the word love and wonder if I would ever get it." _The other Hiro groaned. _"But there is still another horrible memory that I wish I could remove, but I can't at all. Remember the time _

_when my backstabbing friends betrayed my trust?"_

At this point, Hiro was on his knees. _"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" _he screeched, tears beginning to well in his eyes. _"I don't want to go through with this again!"_

"One year after my heart was broken, I was a total wreck without in my life until two classmates came up to me and told me, _'it's alright, we know how it feels',"_ other Hiro began. _"That's when I began to smile again. I made two new friends who I began to hang out with since all three of us had a lot in common. Noburu "Norm" and "Lloyd" they called themselves. I thought to believe that with my friends I could always have someone to back me up." _He sighed. _"Until one day when I introduced them to my siblings._

_I began to believe they had a twinkle in their eyes, like an animal, a wolf hunting down its prey, but I let it go. I mean, it was common to see that – this look, however, had malice. That was a foolish mistake for after hanging out I told them that I have to bring them back to the orphanage. I was about to leave until I was strike hard behind the back and knocked unconscious._

_I was like this until I woke up, to my little sister calling, my, name." _Other Hiro's glare darkened. _"I stand up and turn around to see the friends I trusted trying to take my little sister's clothes off, and my brother beaten up with a lot of bruises and wounds! Here I began to fear losing another loved one, so I punch the bastard right in the face. He was knocked out right away, but then..."_

The other Hiro raised the side of his shirt and turned his back slightly to face Hiro – there was a thin wound there, clearly stitched. _"Oh, lucky it wasn't the kidneys,"_ other Hiro muttered. _"I saw my little sister eyes watering up right away, as well as her counterpart. Wondering why they were crying about, I notice blood dripping down from my back. It was Lloyd who decided to put a knife in my back. I look at him, and he's giving me an evil smirk, and just ran away carrying the other bastard with him. I fell to the ground in pain until my little sister screamed for help and somebody dialled the emergency number."_

The other Hiro finally stopped as his figure slouched. _"My family was lucky that day, but it still scars me to this day, and gives me this feeling,"_ he murmured. Then he looked up, his eyes wide and angry. _"How can I TRUST ANYONE, when they are ASSHOLES and I realize it at the LAST FREAKING MINUTE?!"_

Hiro just stared at his other self, his tears beginning to cease. Other Hiro snarled as he clenched his fists. _"I could have just killed them all, just right then and there," _he hissed. _"I could have gotten it all back, all back! I could have had some insurance!"_

"_Stop it!"_ Hiro croaked. He shook his head furiously and glared back up at his other self. _"How will that solve anything?! How come I'm still here then and I'm alright now?!"_

The other Hiro blinked. Then, he cackled malevolently as he clutched part of his head again. _"But this is what you're saying deep inside you,"_ the apparatus responded lowly. _"I would know. I _am_ you."_

Hiro was aghast as his mouth fell open. He shuddered, and gripped his fists. No...no...this wasn't him. This poor, tortured soul that had not recovered fully...that wanted revenge against the world...it may know who he was, but this wasn't him no matter what it said, no matter how much it experienced. This wasn't Hiro Izumi. This _couldn't _be Hiro Izumi! _It's not me! It's not me!_

"_You're not me!"_ Hiro shouted back.

"Oh, too bad! You just lost the game, boy."

Suddenly, Hiro was taken aback as more lights turned on and began to illuminate the room. Hiro began to look around the area, only to see that he was trapped in a cage with this person who thought he was him, who glared at him spitefully.

Hiro began to hear footprints, and a figure slowly appeared that he had seen once before. "Kid, you're such a noob in this game, are you," the masked man scoffed as he stepped clearly into view.

It was then that Hiro remembered who this strange man was. "Aren't you Blitzkrieg, the game host of that..." he started cautiously.

The man smirked, pleased that Hiro had recognized him. "That is right, boy," Blitzkrieg responded coolly. He flourished a hand and bowed. "I – Blitzkrieg – am the host of the gruesome game show, The Wake of Dawn. And guess what?" He pointed at Hiro. "_You _are starring in it!"

Hiro glared from him to the other Hiro. "Is this some kind of sick joke?!" he snapped. "Get me out of this cage and this strange place!"

Blitzkrieg gave a _tsk tsk _as he wagged a finger. "No can do, boy, for you lost the game." He nodded towards the other Hiro. "Partnership is very important in this game, and you were a bad partner. Didn't you say yourself that he is not you?"

"But he _isn't _me!" Hiro retorted as he fully turned to Blitzkrieg. "That's English for you if you really need it!"

Unknown to Hiro, the other Hiro's glare darkened as it began to glow in a blackish, flame-like aura. "Keep saying to yourself, you're just a sore loser," Blitzkrieg scoffed. The black-haired man gave a sneer. "But here, have this prize right behind as a token of gratitude and thanks-for-playing."

There was suddenly an explosion and a burst of darkness from behind Hiro. The boy spun around to see a large black monster that has two bodies attached to one another. There was a bone wing on the left side and a bloody wing on the other. It had two long blades as its arms and had four legs, all bloody and bone-visible. The monster growled as its body heaved, and it raised a blade.

Blitzkrieg began to laugh as Hiro fell back and recoiled all the way to the wall. "This is your prize, by the way," he murmured as Hiro quickly stood up, back still pressed against the cage bars. "Don't you love me for it? It's a one-way ticket to death!"

At that point, Hiro had had enough. He wanted to get the hell out of this cage, but when he tried to run, he realized that he couldn't move at all. "Oh, I forgot to mention just now, out of a token for showing up, I gave you a set of matching chains on the gate," Blitzkrieg added. He grinned. "Don't you love it?"

Hiro looked down at himself and could now clearly see that both his legs and arms were bound down to the cage by heavy, black chains, making it impossible to move. His eyes widened as the colour completely left his face. "Now, folks out there, it's time for the show to begin!" Blitzkrieg announced as he spread his arms, and gave a loud, frenzied laugh.

The monster growled, pulling back one of his blades, ready to stab Hiro. He jabbed forward, and Hiro squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the worst.

At that moment, there was a metallic _clang_, followed by a booming sound of impact, and an inhuman sound of pain. "Mind if I log in?!" a familiar voice shouted.

Hiro opened his eyes to see a brown-haired man in front of him, wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. On his hands were what appeared to be black biker gloves, with metal knuckle plating. His left arm was raised, the back of the wrist facing the monster, and on that wrist, there was a watch on it - a gold and silver snap-on clasp, similar to Hiro's, but the clock on it appears to be glowing.

"What?!" Blitzkrieg exclaimed, his sneer turning into a frown. "How did you...?!"

"Does it matter?" the man in front of Hiro retorted. "I'm here to play the game too, and I don't intend to lose it. I'm sure Hiro here won't like to lose this game either, isn't that right...Mr. Izumi?"

The man turned his head to look at Hiro. There were dark, white-rimmed glasses over his eyes with gold plating on the edges. He took them off and placed it on the neck of a monochrome, zigzag-striped shirt, and looked at Hiro with familiar blue eyes. Hiro's eyes bulged in complete awe. _"Se – sensei!" _he gasped.

Mr. Andrew Mackenzie nodded with a smile, before his face became serious. "You shouldn't have come here," he told him as his watch stopped glowing.

All Hiro could do was dumbly nod, completely taken aback at seeing him of all people here. He noticed that there was a black-haired girl standing near him. She was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, and a white puffy vest over it, as well as a white skirt, black stockings, and tall white platform boots with a bluish material circle at the heel. A strange mask of the same colour covered the top of her face.

Blitzkrieg folded his arms. "Two extra players have joined? This isn't an MMO." He smirked. "But, this makes things much more exciting..." He looked at the girl. "Especially with _you_ participating more fully in this game now."

The masked girl did not react as she pulled back her right sleeve to expose a watch of her own – a clasp-on, greyish-silver one – as though to accept his challenge. Blitzkrieg looked towards the monster, which had recovered. "Well, then, what do you say to this?" he asked it. "Can you really handle three against one?"

The monster's eyes shifted to the host, before they settled back on the three people in front of him. In a more sinister double voice than before, it simply boomed, "Game start."

Blitzkrieg began to laugh uncontrollably again as the monster prepared itself. Andrew began to put his glasses back on and cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, let the games begin!" he grinned as he got into a fighting stance.

The girl pushed back side of her vest and took out a thin, rectangular metal box. She hit a button on it, and it extended into what looked like a bow, shooting a cord down to the other side to make the bowstring. She took out another stick from her front vest pocket, and pushed another trigger on it, creating an arrow.

The girl placed the arrow against the bow's notch and pulled it back, aiming at the monster.

Although currently bound, Hiro couldn't help but look on in awe. _Damn, that was kind of cool,_ he marvelled.

Mackenzie nodded to the black-haired girl. "You first," he said.

The arrow immediately flew at the right face of the monster and stabbed deep inside, causing it to snarl in irritation before it smacked it away with a bladed arm. It spread its legs and slashed towards her, but she evaded it just barely. "You will pay, all of you will pay and suffer, for I am a Shadow, the true self," it hissed. "That means I am the real face of the player. And I will win!"

With that, the Shadow began to charge up in a burst of dull light. "Shit, Tarakuja," Mackenzie muttered.

Hiro blinked. "Tarakuja?" he echoed.

Mackenzie pushed up his glasses. "It basically means if we take damage from the Shadow, this will hurt."

"But what's a Shadow?!"

Mackenzie narrowed his gaze. "What you faced today and what we're facing now...is a Shadow," he explained. "It is dangerous, it is manipulative and cruel..." He lowered his gaze. "And it is also part of our selves."

Hiro's eyes widened. Mackenzie raised his arms up in front of him. "Get ready for it!" he called to the girl, who held up her bow and another arrow protectively.

"Agi!" the Shadow called, and slashed it arm towards them.

Flames erupted and exploded near the girl, who flinched and was nearly knocked down as she gave a grunt. Mackenzie lowered his arms as he turned to her. "You alright?" he asked.

The girl nodded. "I'll be fine," she responded.

Hiro's ears perked up at her voice. He suddenly realized how familiar this girl was, but he still couldn't guess who she was. Mackenzie looked back towards the Shadow monster. "I think this spell might help us not get that much damage," he told her.

The girl looked at him, and Hiro was still confused as he saw his teacher step forward. "Huh?"

Andrew extended his left arm, but the monster roared again, ready to stab forward. It was then that the masked girl quickly stepped in front of him, and swung her right arm in front of her face, her watch visible. She placed her left hand on it, and pulled the stopper.

At that moment, a blue aura engulfed her, and Hiro couldn't help but give a cry of amazement. "Persona!" she shouted.

She pushed her hand back over the stopper, and the watch's glass covering broke. Hiro flinched and looked away as light exploded everywhere, causing his clothes to flap. The wind and light died down, and Hiro opened his eyes to see a floating, female-looking, white, grey, blue, and purple alien above her, wrapped in what looks like silk and chains with large, glassy crescent moons on her arms, and blade-like wings made of the same material on her back and smaller ones on her body.

The unfamiliar creature extended one arm and pulled back its other. The crescent moon on the pulled-back arm turned to face its opponent vertically, and a swift beam of light shot out from the pulled-back arm, attacking the Shadow monster in the chest. The Shadow roared angrily as the creature glowed and dissolved, the particles returning back to form the watch's cover around the girl's wrist.

Hiro was completely blown over. "Wh...wha...what the hell...?!" he stuttered.

Mackenzie looked at the seething monster. "Poison Arrow," he said. "Looks like it didn't have any effect on your Shadow, though."

"No, not THAT!" Hiro gasped, looking towards the mysterious girl shrouded in bluish fog. "What just came out of that watch?!"

Mackenzie pulled out his own watch, which was also beginning to glow brightly in a yellow light. "That, Mr. Izumi, is a Persona," he simply stated.

Hiro's eyes could not leave his watch. "What is a Persona?" he wanted to know as he saw his teacher grip his left fist.

"Allow me to explain with words and show what they can do," Mackenzie responded coolly as he gave a smirk.

"Hey, will you stop ignoring me?!" his Shadow suddenly bellowed.

Hiro blinked, surprised it could catch onto its thoughts. Mackenzie lowered his glasses, looking at Hiro with surprised eyes. "Sorry," he chuckled nervously, before he turned back to Shadow Hiro. "Well, you asked for it then." He held up his left arm to the side and pulled the stopper. "I call upon thyself! Persona!" He pushed the stopper back in, and Hiro noticed the watch spin uncontrollably as it exploded again in light.

The light faded, and another strange creature appeared in front of him in the midst of bluish fog. The creature was gold, black and white, and had no chains. Mechanical, futuristic wings decorated its helmet, its arms and it feet. The large wings on his feet spread, and the wings on its hands spread as it extends an arm towards the enemy, almost looking like a Caduceus. Mackenzie pointed his finger at Shadow Hiro. "Sukunda!" he commanded.

The Shadow glowed dully and shifted slowly as the Persona thing flexed its hand. "While its attack power may be boosted, its agility has gone down with Hermes' spell," Mackenzie explained.

Hiro looked up at the Persona. "Hermes...?"

The Persona looked towards Hiro, despite its eyes not being visible, before disappearing back into Andrew's watch. "Yes, Hermes is my Persona...a manifestation within myself," Mackenzie replied. "That manifestation is I, and I am it."

This caused Hiro just to look even more confused. Mackenzie pulled the collar of his shirt. "Well, when I say that, I mean..." he started, then shook his head and scoffed. "Oh, never mind! I will give more lessons of the 101 of Shadows and Personae later!"

"Good," the girl's voice said, and she raised her bow back at Shadow Hiro. "You need to stay focused right now." With that, she fired another arrow.

The Shadow, however, sliced the arrow before it could hit him. "Stop messing around with me and face the true power of a Shadow!" it growled. "Shadow Wave!"

Shadow Hiro brought his two blades slashing to the ground. Waves of dark energy flew towards the two. "Shit!" Mackenzie cursed, raising his arms, but he didn't defend it well in time as he was hurled back, smacking against the back of the cage. "AGH!"

The girl blocked it more successfully, but not by much as she grunted and held herself up with one knee. "This is a really maxed-out Shadow, Mackenzie," she whispered. "We'll need to go all out on it!"

"Yeah, that appears to be the case," Mackenzie responded.

He stepped away from the cage wall and was about to do another Persona spell, until Shadow Hiro jutted its head forward at him. "Stop boring with your pathetic attempts," it jeered. Then, its blades blackened as it raised them in front of its chest. "Hell's Blade!"

It slashed five times into what appeared to be an upside-down star, before the blade attack darted towards Mackenzie and the girl. Andrew and his partner quickly pulled out their watched arms. "Per – " they both began, but the impact of the attack hit them hard right away as they flew back into the cage's wall. Hiro could feel the impact and pain of it too as he grunted along with them, his fingernails digging into his palms.

Mackenzie was the first to hit the ground. He groaned as he forced himself to stand up weakly. "I'm going to cast Sukukaja, fall ba – " he began, but his commands were ignored as the girl staggered forward quickly and pulled her watch's stopper. "I said fall back, _don't do it!"_

The girl summoned her Persona, who raised one of its arms. Ice crystals and snow swirled around it, before it slashed forward at Shadow Hiro. The crystals hit the ground in front of him, causing larger crystals of ice to grow under the Shadow. It fell back and hit the cage, causing it to quake as well as Hiro who felt the full impact of it as he was shaken up.

"You cannot beat me with a simple Bufu!" Shadow Hiro struggled to get up, and pointed its right blade at the girl. "It's over for you now...AGI!"

A blast of fire connected with the girl and exploded, causing her to yelp sharply and smack into the cage. Her vest charred up and began to burn at the edges as she fell forward, shuddering weakly. "No!" Mackenzie cried.

The girl pushed herself up with a pained groan. It was then that Hiro realized that her mask has cracked off and broken, as a few more pieces and bits fell from it. "Nakamura-_chan?" _he marveled, his eyes wide again.

Kyoko, her identity now revealed, looked straight at Hiro, and noticed that her mask had been ruined. Suddenly, Blitzkrieg's voice could be heard from a distance. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, what a twist!" he announced. "It appears the identity of our three players are now exposed! Who will win now, I can't wait and see myself!" He chuckled as the Shadow charged up again.

Kyoko gritted her teeth as she reached for her bow. "We have to fight back..." she hissed.

"Kyoko, focus on your defense, we can't take another hit if we screw up!" Mackenzie told her sharply as he forced himself to stand up again.

Shadow Hiro shook its heads. "Pathetic. Look at you humans – you can't even stand up properly."

Hiro watched on, not able to help his teacher and now known classmate from this Shadow. Blitzkrieg sneered. "How does it feel, Mr. Hiro Izumi? How does it feel to be nothing more than a bystander once again as people close to you get hurt?"

Mackenzie shook his head. "Don't listen to...him...Hiro," he rasped. He pulled and pushed in his stopper, and summoned Hermes again, who extended his arm and cast Garu. Winds whipped around the cage as Mackenzie placed an arm on his knee. "Kyoko, I want you to use Makajam!"

Kyoko shook her head. "What good will silence do..." she muttered, pulling out another arrow.

"Just do it..."

The winds died down too quickly, as though they were broken. "That wind didn't hurt at all," Shadow Hiro cackled.

Kyoko staggered upwards and summoned her Persona once again. "Persona!" she practically choked as the eerie yet elegant creature appeared over her head. "Selene, cast Makajam!"

Selene pulled her arm back and extended it back forward, but it appeared that nothing happened. "What the hell?" Mackenzie uttered as he and Kyoko's eyes widened.

Shadow Hiro raised a blade and slashed it at Selene. The Persona's eyes widened before it shattered and returned to Kyoko's watch as Kyoko shrieked and fell down on her knees. "Hehe, how does it feel to be in pain..." Shadow Hiro asked her cruelly.

It was too much. Mackenzie stood up and got ready to summon, but he gave a yelp as he buckled and fell down, holding himself up with his arm. Blitzkrieg gave another laugh and smirked. "Looks like two players are down for the count," he shouted. He turned towards the outside of the cage, and Hiro could make out an audience of masks and dark figures. "Now I ask the audience – what should we do with these two?"

The crowd did not hesitate as they all cried out, "Cut their heart!"

"Ahh, what a wonderful choice," Blitzkrieg drawled. He turned to Shadow Hiro. "You heard them, cut their hearts out!" he barked.

Shadow Hiro began to move closer and closer towards Andrew and Kyoko. Hiro began to struggle again as he clenched his teeth and fists. He slammed his head back into the cage bars. _Damn it, damn it, damn it! _he thought urgently. _I can't do anything but to see their death! This can't be how it will end!_

He threw his head back up. "GET AWAY FROM THEM!" he screamed at his other self.

All of a sudden, everything went dark. Hiro's eyes began to close slowly against his will. _Please let this end..._he prayed as he slipped into unconsciousness.

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**The Velvet Room**_

Hiro opened his eyes slowly, hoping that he would see his room again and that all of the events that had occurred would be some terrible nightmare. His heart began to beat furiously as his panic increased, finding himself back in the strange Velvet Room. "Ah, welcome back, good that you decided to return," Igor greeted. The pointy-nosed man raised an eyebrow. "Although, I don't think now is a good time for you to be here. You appear to be tied up in something very important, am I correct?"

Hiro tried to open his mouth as he stood up from his seat and flailed his hands, but no word could be spoken still. He gritted his teeth – he wanted to tell these people that people that he knew were in danger, being attacked by some strange monster and this sick man who showed it off to the world as entertainment, how he had to help them somehow! Igor shook his head. "Do not fret, I understand that things are going on in the Data Room right now," Igor reassured him. He nodded towards Sakura. "Let's see what can be done about it."

He suddenly lifted his hands from the cane (which somehow still stood upright in its exact position) and swiped one hand across his palm. A deck of cards appeared on the held out hand after a faint glow. "I hope you won't mind if I take a look into your future," Igor said as he swept his hand across the deck, and was left with three cards in his hand. "I do apologize, this is very improper for a proper fortune-telling, and I do think a table should be more appropriate. Ah, that's better."

Igor looked in front of him, and Hiro just noticed a roller-cart with a velvet tablecloth over it in front of them. _How...? _Hiro wondered uneasily as the man swept his hand over his own, and the cards swept to the table in front of him.

Igor swept a hand over the cards, and the middle one flipped over, revealing a black silhouetted figure with one foot over what looked like the edge of a cliff, a dog following him in the back. "Ah, the Fool," Igor drawled. "So you aren't that different from the others. But it represents your beginning, the start of the journey that you may take. I sense that you've gone through a lot to accomplish this stage from the past, haven't you?"

Hiro froze, understanding what Igor meant. Igor digressed, waved a hand over the cards again, and the first card flipped over. Igor looked interested. "So this is what's different," he said as he tapped the card of two figures holding hands under a large, faced sun with many rays. "I suppose this is what helped you through those hardships in the past. It represents energy, optimism, and accomplishment. Keep it close for your future."

Finally, he waved a hand over the last one, and it flipped over to reveal a faced crescent moon above a stream, with a crab in it, two towers and two dogs howling towards it. "Because when the sun sets, the moon rises," Igor continued as he tapped the card. "The Moon means that you should be...hesitant of what is to come, because it will be shrouded in mystery. Sort of like now, hm?"

The Moon faded away, and the Sun and the Fool arranged themselves in front of Hiro. "You will be the first of my guests to hold two of these fates close," Igor said as he placed his hands back on the cane. "Now choose wisely. These are your two most important Arcana, but only one can be in your right hand. However, there is no wrong – just left, and depending on how you see it, that way may be the wrong direction for you to go."

Hiro was still confused as to what was going on, still wanting to get back to what was happening. "You are different from the others who came here to see what their path was," Igor explained as he placed his hands back on the cane. Then Igor pointed at his left-hand wrist. "Oh. Very different. You may want to choose soon – time appears to be ticking away very quickly."

Hiro raised his arm, and his eyes widened as he saw the hands of his watch spinning out of control. He can suddenly see two things at the same time – the monster becoming more frenzied, Kyoko and Andrew struggling to get up and attempt to hold it back – and then the Velvet Room and the two Arcana cards in front of him. Hiro was about to answer back to Igor but at this point, his eyes began to close once again...

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**The Data Room**_

Hiro opened his eyes quickly to see that his teacher and classmate were still on the ground, struggling to fight back against this monster with their weapons and the strange creatures they had on their side. He wanted to help against that thing, but he remembered that that his arms and legs were still all chained up to the cage, preventing him from escaping or doing anything. _I can't do this anymore, _Hiro thought as he gritted his teeth. _I cannot bear to lose another person in front of my eyes again! I don't want everyone to face death because of me!_

The monster gave a deafening roar as a blast of energy hit Kyoko, who gave a strangled scream. The light in Hiro's eyes faded, and his body suddenly sagged. _No...this is hopeless..._he finally concluded. _I can't fight this...I'm not going to win this. Ai, Akira...I'm sorry..._

He bowed his head towards the scene, ready to accept what fate would befall him.

_I cannot give up now..._

Suddenly, Hiro begins seeing two things again – the monster and the cage, and the cards and the Velvet Room. Everything was shaky and blurry as a strange, commanding yet familiar voice echoed within him soul.

_Thou art I..._it reverberated.

Hiro suddenly turned to the left card on the table - the Sun Arcana, which slowly became clearer.

_And I art thou..._

Just then, more things began to appear in his sight - clocks, all sorts of them in different shapes and sizes, spinning out of control, while he sees the Velvet Room, and this strange monster called a Shadow, and then this one card...this entity and presence that was calling to him...inside of him...

Igor was smirking faintly in the Velvet Room - "Have you made your choice then?" he seemed to be saying, and Sakura looked at him in the same manner as she usually did. Meanwhile, the Shadow was glaring at him with glowing eyes, and getting ready to advance as he kicked Kyoko and Mackenzie aside. The clocks continued to spin, spin, and spin...

Hiro extended his left hand towards the Sun card very slowly, and placed his fingers on it as he picked it up. It began to glow in his hand, and gradually pulsated with a light almost as great as the sun itself. The card abruptly imploded and disappeared, and it was then that his watch started to glow brightly as well. It was a strange feeling that overtook and overwhelmed Hiro...at the same time, it felt like this power...this strange power...belonged to him...was _part _of him...

Hiro gives a strange smile as the light consumed him, and his hand moved towards his left wrist. With his index and thumb, he pulled on the watch's stopper.

Suddenly, the clocks slow down and stop dramatically, and all three hands eventually stopped on 12:00. Time itself seemed to have halted as everything was still. He felt cold, numb, and yet warm as he looked down at his watch. The only sound that Hiro could hear was the steady thumping of his heart, the pounding increasing slowly as his pupils contracted.

Then, Hiro put his fingers back over the stopper, and only three uttered syllables left his lips as his eyes dilated:

"Per...so...na."

He slammed his hand back over the stopper, and the watch spun out of control again before the clock cover shattered and light exploded everywhere. Igor's smirk was now fully evident from the Velvet Room, before Hiro suddenly found himself back in the Data Room, the chains broken as the shattered light particles and cover bits began to surround him.

It was then that the particles engulfed him fully, and Hiro gave a scream as a chained figure emerged out of him and flew into the air. The figure was mechanical; gold, black, white, with hints of blue and orange, and its joints were held together by balls of light, as well as several gold shackles on it. Its head looked masked, with a shackle around its top like a halo, and had spikes at the back of its head, as well as blades as its arms and smaller ones attached to its hips.

The strange, chained, brightly glowing creature raised two blades from its back, which expanded and flared up into wings, lighting up the fog around it, and spread its blade-like arms menacingly. The shackles began to spin slowly, showing the name "Helios" in Greek letters as its torn black sash and chains were blown by a sudden burst of energy from it.

Blitzkrieg gritted his teeth as he took a step back instantly. Mackenzie's eyes widened as he stared at the thing above his student. "Wha...Hiro?!" he gasped. "No way...that's..."

"...a Persona..." Kyoko finished firmly, forcing herself to sit up.

The Shadow snarled. "Look at this...my other self wants to play," it hissed.

Hiro glowered at the Shadow, and walked forward in front of Mackenzie and Kyoko. He clenched his fists as he stood with his legs spread apart, his hands raised readily. "_I won't let you hurt them!" _he shouted at it with renewed strength.

Mackenzie looked back at Persona, then at the Shadow. "But...how?!" he wondered, narrowing his eyes in wary suspicion.

The Persona faded as it lowered itself back into its host. Kyoko turned to look towards Hiro and the Shadow. "It doesn't matter. All we can do is hope that this works..." she murmured.

"Hiro!" Mackenzie commanded hoarsely, and began to push himself up with a knee and an arm. "Attack it like our Personae did!"

Hiro nodded, his watch pulsing furiously as he began to glow in a reddish aura. "Yes, sir!"

The Shadow was not amused as it narrowed its eyes. _"You think you can beat me?!" _it roared back in the same tone of threatening-sounding Japanese. It stretched its wings, raising its bladed-arms, and getting ready to attack once again. _"Just try it."_

* * *

_**To Be Continued**_


	6. Strength of Heart

___**Author's Notes:**_

_Xin Fyrrae: __Hey, everybody, here's our first update after a good while, so sorry about the delay! Since school has begun, I'm sure all of you are busy with it and whatnot. Well, so are we as me and KingHiro are also in our third and final year, and we're doing our best to go the distance for graduation and university. Remember, school is cool, and Mr. Mackenzie will definitely tell you so!  
__KingHiro: __High school is a lot of work even right now when we're in Grade 12, so handle with us of how we take care of the stories, and enjoy this latest chapter  
__Xin Fyrrae: __Dude, why is it that we can't have an awesome teacher like Mackenzie...  
__KingHiro:__ I thought we do have a teacher like that  
__Xin Fyrrae:__ Yeah. But he doesn't fight Shadows. *pouts in a corner* That would be so badass...  
__KingHiro in a sweatdrop:__ excusing my partner with her moment of sadness, enjoy reading this new chapter and remember to review please and thank you!_

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
Chapter 6: Strength of Heart **_

* * *

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**Cage of Fallen Heroes/The Data Room**_

"_Taste my bloody blade of sorrow!"_ Shadow Hiro hissed, and slashed forward towards his host.

Hiro quickly fell back and dodged the attack, now able to move without the burden of chains on him. This did not amuse Shadow Hiro, who growled _"Hold still!"_ as he lunged forward again with his other blade.

Hiro dodged the slash again, but barely as he nearly tripped over himself as he looked back up, breathing heavily. _Okay, now let's see if I can find a good point to attack him when he leaves a good opening, _he thought.

He suddenly heard grunting and footsteps, and turned to his side to see Kyoko stagger next to him. "He has two halves to his body..." she told him, and raised a finger towards the line of symmetry to the Siamese-like monster. "Hit somewhere in the middle, near the head or the chest...that should hit a critical point if you're lucky...!"

The boy blinked. "How did you know I was thinking of looking for an opening?" he asked her.

The girl gave a strained groan as she placed her hand over her weakly pulsing watch. "I can analyze a Shadow's weak points and weaknesses," she continued, as though ignoring his question. "My Persona, Selene...is what grants me it."

She cringed, and collapsed again, holding herself up on a knee. Worry crossed Hiro's face. "Nakamura-_chan_, thanks for telling me that, but are you sure you should stand up with your condition?"

"I'm _fine," _she snapped back. Hiro was about to argue until...

"AGI!"

Shadow Hiro took advantage of the wounded Kyoko as a blast of fire was shot. Hiro saw it aiming right towards her, and realizing that it might be able to kill her, he quickly moved to his right to cover her with his body, and take the full impact of the spell with a very unpleasantly surprised and pained yelp.

"Hiro!" Mackenzie cried.

Kyoko's eyes narrowed. She was curious, furious, and confused at the same time. "Why the hell did you protect me?" she hissed.

Hiro looked up to face her, his teeth grit as he tried hard not to scream again. "What do you expect?" he retorted. "Even though I don't know you, I just had to protect any from danger. That is a very gentleman way to do it, right?"

Shadow Hiro, however, had another extra side to it. "Jeez, show some more gratitude!" the Shadow scoffed. "I just saved your – "

All of a sudden, something bright was shining above Hiro. That mechanical angel-like figure had appeared once again, its shackles turning and the sash billowing. Kyoko looked up to see that Hiro had summoned his Persona, Helios, after he took the blow for her.

Helios raised his blade over his chest, and then vanished in front of everyone's eyes. Even Shadow Hiro was at a loss of where he went, until Helios appeared right in front of him and began to raise both his blades up.

"No," Shadow Hiro uttered, stepping back. "No, no, NO!"

He suddenly jumped, throwing his own blades forward, and clashed blades with Helios. _"I will NOT let you win!"_ he hissed to the Persona.

Helios disappeared once again, and appeared right behind the Shadow. Shadow Hiro's eyes widened, and he quickly extended his wings back to throw Helios into recoil, before spinning around to stab forward at him. The stab missed as Helios vanished once more. Shadow Hiro spread his wings menacingly as he landed back on the ground and raised his blades. _"Stop being a coward and fight me!" _he cried.

Kyoko suddenly pushed and pulled her watch stopper in and out. Selene appeared in front of Shadow Hiro idly. Shadow Hiro immediately chuckled as he pulled back a blade. "Oh, please, don't try to be a hero either..." he said.

It was then that Kyoko's gaze became like cold steel as she stood up. _"I'm not trying to be a hero,"_ she muttered in Japanese.

"_What the hell is that suppose to mean?" _

It was then that the Shadow just realized that Hiro's watch was still glowing, which meant only one thing – his Persona was still around. Shadow Hiro began to dart his head left and right and all around to find where Helios was, to no avail until he felt a sudden chill above him.

Kyoko raised an arm, as did the pale alien-like Persona above him. "Bufu!" she commanded.

Shadow Hiro raised his blades and blocked the ice crystals. "You already tried it but that does not work..." he hissed, but stopped.

Right next to him, Helios had his blade raised, and he slashed forward, barely nicking the bleeding wing of Shadow Hiro. He vanished again as Shadow Hiro spun to face him. _"Stop running from me!" _he roared. He began to shift in a flared-up glow as he felt himself grow angrier and stronger. _"STOP RUNNING FROM YOUR TRUE SELF! WHERE ARE YOU?!!"_

When he looked up, Helios was right there behind him, with both his swords already slashed on the ground, creating an X-slashed mark on his back. Shadow Hiro's eyes widened. _"But how..."_

Hiro's Persona began to fade away and shatter, the pieces flying back to Hiro's wristwatch. _"But how the HELL did you hit me, you bastard?!" _Shadow Hiro repeated, with much more anger as he glared burning eyes into Hiro's soul.

Hiro shifted himself into a ready position. "_It's very hard to explain, but easy to operate,"_ he simply replied.

Shadow Hiro looked very irked at that, but he gave a wry chuckle from deep within him. "Hitting me from behind...that seems a bit dirty for a hero," he remarked. His eyes flashed. "Maybe you are a lot like me after all..."

Mackenzie narrowed his eyes; something wasn't right about this Shadow. "Hiro! You have to weaken him," he instructed from the back. He readjusted his shades. "You two be careful, especially you, Kyoko, you're extremely weak right now."

Kyoko simply readied herself as she extended her hand towards her watch again. "I'll last."

"Yeah, you'll last in Hell," Shadow Hiro commented. His blade began to glow sickly as he pulled it back. "Poison Slash."

The blade aimed towards Kyoko as Shadow Hiro charged. The short-haired girl was getting ready to defend herself, when she noticed the attack change direction mid-way and was heading right towards Hiro. "Hiro, look out!" Mackenzie warned.

Hiro looked surprised and instinctively raised his arms, about to block it until he remembered that he had no idea how this was done. Shadow Hiro was about to attack and slash forward, until he was slammed by two beams of light from the side and crashed down into the cage's bottom as Selene placed down her arms from her attack position. Hiro turned to face a struggling Kyoko, who had just protected him from that devastating attack.

Kyoko simply scoffed. "I said I would last," she said. She looked towards Hiro, her face vague again but with a hint of irritation. "Consider yourself lucky."

Hiro sweatdropped. "Okay, I will take that as a return of favour."

Kyoko then lowered her gaze as she looks back at the monster. _"You have more stamina than I do though,"_ she reminded him – and perhaps herself as well. _"It will be up to you if I go down to defeat it."_

"_But Nakamura-chan, I'm still a novice with Persona and fighting,"_ Hiro replied hesitantly. He looked back towards his Shadow. "How will I do this?"

"The concept is simple." Kyoko stood up straight. "Just don't die."

"Don't die?" Mackenzie echoed. He narrowed his eyes. "God, I hate that line and that movie..."

Kyoko just raised her arms. "Mackenzie, when you're ready," she reminded him as well.

The older man nodded. "Right."

He walked towards the other two and raised his arms in front of him, getting ready to guard. Hiro looked at the cuts and tears on his shirt and jacket, as well as the bruises and burn marks on him. "Sir, are you sure you should be doing that?" Hiro questioned very uncertainly.

Mackenzie nodded. "He looks angry. I think we should guard." His watch glowed faintly in front of him as he clenched his fists tightly. "Get ready for it!"

"Oh, I see what you mean then."

Kyoko's watch also pulsed as well as she raises her arms defensively. "This better work..."

Shadow Hiro was on his feet now. "I will crush you," he growled, and slashed his blades towards the ground. "Shadow Wave!"

Mackenzie and Kyoko stepped in front of Hiro to defend him, bracing for impact to defend against this powerful wave and keep Hiro intact. The black energy hit them hard, and Mackenzie groaned while Kyoko gritted her teeth as they nearly fell back. "Mr. Mackenzie, Nakamura-_chan!" _Hiro exclaimed, more worried of their condition.

The brunette gasped. "Alright," he breathed, narrowing his eyes. He reached for watch, only to realize that the glow on his watch had completely disappeared. "What?!"

"What happened?!" Kyoko snapped, looking towards him.

Mackenzie's gaze was completely washed over in disbelief as he stared down at the clock. "I've been Silenced," he uttered.

Kyoko quickly snapped her head to look back at her own, only to see the same thing had happened to hers. "Shit!" she hissed. She looked back towards their enemy as Shadow Hiro began to laugh tremendously.

Hiro began to turn away from his comrades and stepped forward to face this...so-called Shadow of...of himself...and was about to ask what he was laughing about, until the Shadow began to explain as though answering Hiro's thoughts. "That basically means they can't use their Personas," he chuckled. "So that means I could destroy all of you at once, but better yet...I should savour this, and kill you one by one."

A blade pointed towards Mackenzie. "Starting with the pathetic homeroom teacher," he uttered.

Mr. Mackenzie looked up from his watch, his eyes widening in horror. Kyoko and Hiro looked behind them to face their teacher – this man who taught high school students by day, and then out of the blue fought these strange creatures by night. He looked too young to die...he used to give off an impression as to be ready for anything once before...

However, Andrew dropped his arms, ready to face the impact of this attack, knowing he failed as a teacher and a protector to be able to defend his students from danger. He chuckled weakly, every bit of hope and faith leaving his eyes. "Looks like I am destined to fail..." he uttered.

With that, the Shadow dashed towards Mackenzie, his left sword raised beside his head. Hiro's eyes narrowed furiously – this wasn't his time! "No, _sensei!" _he screamed, running towards the direction of the older man.

Kyoko's eyes flew wide open as she saw him dash towards Mackenzie, and then the blade glint as it was brought down. "HIRO!" the girl screamed.

There was a horrible sound of metal slicing into flesh, and Mackenzie returned back to reality as his sight returned to him. The first thing he saw was Hiro's black hair, as well as the very pained look on Hiro's face as he shuddered and bit his lower lip, tears streaming down the new student's eyes. Mackenzie's eyes widened as his mouth fell open. "Hiro...no..." he whispered.

Shadow Hiro suddenly roared angrily, and Mackenzie looked up to see the Shadow throwing a fit. "WHY?!" it shrieked as it slashed its blades at thin air. "That's just another wound to MY back! _You PEST!"_

Hiro's arms slipped from around Mackenzie as he collapsed on the ground, breathing raggedly and dangerous, knowing that there was a gauche in his back with blood pouring out – _like those stupid horror movies, _he thought numbly as he gritted his teeth and forced himself not to cry as he forced himself on his front. "Hiro, why did you do that..." Andrew continued, still shocked at this act.

Hiro began to spit blood out of his mouth as he forced himself up. Finally, he spoke. "If...more blood is going to be shed..." he croaked hoarsely. "It is such going to be..." Coughing as blood splattered on the cage ground as Hiro pushed himself up. "My...OWN..." His whole body shuddered. "I...don't want...anymore people near me...DYING..."

Mackenzie just stared at him incredulously as Hiro looked up with a face barely saving grace. "Anyways...this...situation...we are in...is...my...own fault," he apologized.

Shadow Hiro gritted his teeth as he kicked aside Mackenzie and loomed over Hiro. "Don't you feel that's a little troublesome..." he asked Hiro, pointing a blade down at his own head. "Saving people that you aren't really all THAT close with?"

Hiro gave a strained groan as he looked up at his Shadow. "I...don't care..." he choked. "Saving people...the lives...is what...heroes do...and that...is why..." His English changed to Japanese. "_My father...always...told...me..."_

"_And you'll go through all THIS?!"_ Shadow Hiro's eyes flashed furiously. _"You stupid NERD! Those comic books! You swore before back then that you'd NEVER be able to live up to that image of a hero! Then why?! Why?!!"_

Hiro's eyes lowered. _"I already...told...it is...because..."_ He gasped. _"Of...my...dad..."_

"_But what about YOU?!"_ Shadow Hiro protested furiously. _"After all those things that happened to you...to ME!"_ He screeched angrily as the flats of his blade grasp the side of his heads. _"HOW CAN YOU BE SO SELFLESS!?!! You wonder what would happen if you just cared more for yourself, you KNOW that it COULD help! Then why do you keep GIVING YOURSELF TO OTHER PEOPLE?!!"_

"_Does...not... ma - matter..."_ Hiro looked up at his Shadow again. _"For people...will all... have...different opinions...on y - you...but dad...and...mom...will...always...tell me..."_

He began to sit up. _"To always...pr - prove...them...wrong,"_ he hissed as he glared at the stubborn side of himself.

Shadow Hiro's eyes widened in rage. _"But I'M YOU!"_ He gave a feral cry as he raised his blades. _"I'LL SHOW YOU HOW CHILDISH YOU ARE!!!"_

It was then that Hiro reached towards his watch, which was faintly pulsating, and with the last ounce of real strength he had left, pulled the stopper. "Persona..." he forced out of his lips, and pushed it back in as he fell back down to the ground with a strained yelp.

In a burst of light, Helios appeared once again, and slashed his blades forward to block the impact of the attack, both attacks cancelling each other out as they both recoiled back. "Damn it, you bastard, you nullified my attack!" Shadow Hiro growled as Mackenzie rushed to Hiro's side.

Helios said nothing as he lowered his gaze. The slits of his eyes and his blades begin to glow, and the shackles spinning around his arms, his legs, and the one around his head also slowly began to turn into light as he raised his blades in the air. An aura of light suddenly grew from the blades and encircled his arms slowly. Shadow Hiro stepped back. _"No...no, no, NO, NO!"_ he screamed.

A voice began to boom in the air. "I am Helios, and the sun shall shine brightly upon thou, darkness! "the Persona bellowed. "Cleanse your tainted soul! _Heaven's Blade!"_

The halo-shaped aura immediately closed around the blades. Now resembling rays of light themselves, Helios wasted no time as he charged towards Shadow Hiro with his blades outstretched. Shadow Hiro gave a desperate shriek and slashed a pentagram for Hell's Blade, ready to stab through the center.

He was too late as there was the sound of three swords slashing into flesh. Shadow Hiro's eyes widened as Helios' right blade pierced through his center. Helios lowered his head at the Shadow, as though to mock him, before the two exploded in light as the Shadow gave a bloodcurdling cry.

The light faded, and a very drained and dangerously injured Hiro forced himself to look up to see Helios towering over the fallen Shadow, reverted back to his original shape. The other Hiro struggled to get up, also bleeding from the back as he looked up at Helios. _"Damn it...I could have ended all of this!" _he balked.

Helios looked towards Hiro, and shattered again as he returned back to the golden watch. The watch blinked before Helios' voice murmured, "Thou art gain Media".

Kyoko and Mackenzie blinked. "Media...?" Mackenzie echoed. His gaze suddenly returned back to its alert self as he looked back down at his bleeding student. "Hiro...quickly, use it..."

Hiro still had some leftover stamina to faintly whisper, "What is that...?"

"_Just do it!" _Kyoko demanded.

Hiro reached for his watch and yanked the stopper out with a wince. "Media," he murmured, and gently reactivated it.

The watch shattered, and Helios appeared again. The Persona began to emit light from his whole body as the orbs on his joints expanded. He spread his arms out, and the blades detached from their joints, releasing from him and encircling the two students and their teacher. Lights above from what Hiro assumed was a now brightening-up sky began to surround them, and suddenly, their wounds, their clothes, and their stamina began to heal and fix as each of them emitted a small burst of light from within themselves.

Hiro sat up perfectly, his eyes widening in shock as he raised his arms and looked at himself, feeling more rejuvenated. He looked down at the ground, no evidence of blood there at all – just some leftover pain at his back which did not hurt far as much as it did before. "What was that heavenly feeling..." the boy marvelled as he looked towards Mr. Mackenzie and Kyoko, who also looked in good shape.

Mackenzie finally chuckled, a warm, relieved smile on his face. "That...was Media," he simply told him.

Hiro looked towards Helios, whose blades returned back to his arms. He bowed his head. _"Arigatou, Helios," _the host said.

Helios simply nodded, and vanished again. With that, Hiro, Mackenzie, and Kyoko all turned towards Hiro's Shadow, who was crawling closer to them. Mackenzie and Kyoko stood up, ready to face it again while Hiro just watched it come near him. Shadow Hiro began to sit up, and glared at Hiro very spitefully. _"You bastard!"_ he spat in front of his eyes. "You pest...I could of – !"

Before he could even finish that sentence, Hiro's fist connected with his face. Shadow Hiro sat up again and looked up in utter shock and disbelief as Hiro stood up, glaring down at his Shadow. "Save your words..." he muttered darkly. "I already know what you're going to say..."

Shadow Hiro growled lowly and gritted his teeth as his eyes flashed dangerously. He was about to demand why exactly Hiro punched him, until Hiro said, "All those things you said were true."

The Shadow froze, his anger falling from his face. Hiro gulped. "I was in a emotional stage of losing my parents that I was raped for it," he whispered.

Mackenzie's hand flew up to his mouth as his eyes bulged. Kyoko was silent as she continued to listen to Hiro talk to his Shadow. "And every other incident...like my ex-girlfriend who broke my heart after showing proof she was cheating with me with another man...or the time when I thought I made friends, who actually wanted to beat me up so they could violate my little sister..."

He swallowed again, hoping he wouldn't cry. "And it's true that in one point I was in a emotional wreck that I thought if I disappear, everyone will be happy."

Mackenzie's knees buckled, while Kyoko continued to watch them both, almost as though this was nothing surprising. Shadow Hiro trembled. "To the point where you wanted everything...including yourself...to go away..." he murmured, his eyes full of unwanted reminiscence.

Hiro nodded, the same look in his own. "Yeah. But...in the end..." He bent down to look at his Shadow. "That's what I really wanted – not people to really die, but for all of us just to finally be at peace no matter what it would take – that was part of myself that I kept underneath me. So what these two said to me that you are suppose to be my Shadow, then it is true."

He placed a hand on the Shadow's shoulder, and two pairs of greyish, bluish eyes connected with each other. "You are me, my other self," Hiro said. He smiled. "My Shadow."

Shadow Hiro's face was a picture of awe. All he could do was stare back at this smiling face – this mirror image of him that was ready to accept him. It seemed too good to be true...

"You finally accept me, _you idiot," _he cackled.

The Shadow gave a frenzied smirk as he shattered, the faint image of the Fool card appearing before Hiro's eyes, and the pieces flew towards Hiro's watch. Suddenly, the watch began to fiercely pulsate with dark and light, and Hiro felt a sudden pain fill his head as he gave a cry and gripped the sides of his head. Mackenzie and Kyoko exchanged glances – did this mean...?!

Suddenly, the pain vanished, and Hiro's watch glowed again, this time a flaring-like red, as Helios voice echoed, "Thou art gain Agi".

Hiro took in gasps of air as he collapsed back on the ground. He took one more deep breath, and turned around to make himself have both Mackenzie and Kyoko in his vision of sight. "So that was really a Shadow of myself that actually was kept inside my mind somewhere hidden, where I wished for it never to appear," he murmured.

Mackenzie nodded. "That is right, Hiro, he really was a Shadow of yourself," he said, but with great hesitance.

Hiro began to think about this event, then looked back at the older man. "Did you have to fight your own Shadow, Mr. Mackenzie?" he asked.

Mr. Mackenzie nodded. "Yes, I have."

Hiro looked towards Kyoko. "And Nakamura-_chan?" _

Kyoko was silent as she simply looked into space. "I haven't faced mine yet," she finally responded.

Hiro blinked. "Oh, really?"

Mackenzie turned his head towards her. "Really?" he exclaimed, his face now mixed with a strange concern.

Hiro was about to ask them how they knew where he was, until suddenly, the spotlights in the room began to fade out and in again. Hiro, Kyoko, and Mackenzie exchanged glances. For a second, they actually forgot that they were still in this messed-up game show. A familiar voice began to speak. "What a drag," the voice drawled with a yawn. "Come on. I didn't come here to see a fucking, stupid, goddamn drama house where it actually has a happy ending!"

The group began to turn their heads, for they knew it was the voice of the host of this show, Blitzkrieg. They looked around, seeing nothing but the caged bars they were in and blood around the walls. The lights began to fade once again to leave the room into complete darkness. "Jeez, it's the very first time that someone actually won in this game show, and that makes me a sad person," Blitzkrieg's voice grumbled. "Even the audience doesn't like it, right, guys?"

Hiro's ears twitched as they all began to hear the audience's voice, despite not able to see them in the dark. Booing and hissing could be heard as one voice shrilled, "Where is the blood?!"

"Yeah! We wanted to see the blood of that human already!"

Hiro's blood turned cold at this. He shuddered. _This game show is freaking me out more, _he thought as his back connected with Kyoko's.

The lights began to show again, revealing Blitzkrieg was in a cage right behind theirs. He pushed his arms through the cage bars and wrapped them around Hiro and Mackenzie, pulling them to the wall tightly, and stared at Kyoko even through his mask, his lips curled into a frown. "Well, you won this game, but let me tell you, the next time you decide to play on The Wake of Dawn, you will pay for breaking our 21 Game Kill Streak," he warned her. He grinned malevolently and disappeared along with the audience as the lights shut down.

They relit again, only in a shade of red to give the cage with the blood still on the bars and the walls a more menacing look. Mackenzie dusted the shoulders of his jacket off as he readjusted his glasses with a scowl. "Well, that was really something," he grumbled, then stretched. "But the Media's not gonna help us in here. We're gonna pass out sooner or later if we continue our duration in this place and don't get out of The Wake of Dawn or the Data Room."

"Then how are we getting out of here?" Hiro wanted to know as he turned to his teacher. He blinked. "Or better yet, how did you guys get in here?" he added, turning to Kyoko, who reached down to pick up her bow.

"We came here the same way you did," the girl explained, staring at her weapon as she straightened herself back up. She tucked it back in her inside vest pocket. "We were going to fix that monitor because about a while ago..."

_**September 28, 2016  
**__**Prince Royale Private High School**_

"_Man, football season is gonna be great for next year!" Mr. Robinson grinned as Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. Armando walked down the halls. _

_Mr. Armando nodded, tucking a pen from behind his ear into his blazer pocket. "You said it, a lot of freshmen this year look tough to join the juniors, and I'm more than willing to assist them in this year," the black-haired teacher agreed. He turned towards Mackenzie. "How about you, Andrew, you ready to watch us pro coaches train the best of the best?_

_Mr. Mackenzie chuckled. "Well, I certainly am, and I will hold you to that when I go and watch the games, Fred," he retorted. "It better be – "_

_Suddenly, a janitor bolted out of the computer room screaming, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. He looked towards the three teachers, shuddering uncontrollably as he pointed back to the room with a shaky finger. "The computer...the computer...it tried to - it - it...it tried to...!"_

_Both football teachers looked confused and a bit disturbed by this as Armando took a step back, except for Mackenzie, who froze in terrible realization of what this meant as the janitor ran away._

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**Cage of Fallen Heroes/The Data Room**_

"When we went to fix it, we saw a flashlight and a wallet, and realized that somebody must have gotten sucked into the Data Room," Mackenzie finished. "Then we saw you facing your other self – we couldn't understand you...well, except for Kyoko, since I can't speak even a fragment of Japanese. Anyway, let's get going. Kyoko?"

Kyoko pulled out a small portable laptop from her vest, only to open it and have the monitor fall off and crash to the ground. Mackenzie gave a cry as he stepped forward. "No, I paid for that!" he wailed, his eyes tearing up.

The girl just dropped the rest on the ground. "I'll get you another one," she simply told him as she looked at the electrocuting piece of technology splutter, the E key popping out of the keyboard.

"Does...does this mean we're stuck here...?" Hiro began, not wanting to stay in this strange Data Room, stuck in a cage and with blood on the walls and God knows what waiting for them next day.

Mackenzie groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, lucky for me," he started, and pulled out a touch-screen phone from his pocket. "I have the newest model of these."

He ran his finger on it and scrolled by some icons, then stopped to touch one that looked like the logo of Prince Royale. "Are you sure this will work, sir?" Hiro blinked, uncertain about firstly if a touch-screen phone would work and secondly why his teacher had one and he didn't.

Mr. Mackenzie turned back to him. "Watch..."

They were suddenly enveloped by a quick flash of light as Hiro blinked...

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**Prince Royale Private High School**_

...and found himself back in the computer room of the school, his flashlight and Marcus' wallet right next to his feet. "And learn," the teacher finished with a smug smile.

"That was actually amazing," Hiro murmured as he blinked, completely dumbfounded.

Mr. Mackenzie slipped his phone back into his pocket, and looked towards the flickering computer. "Now to fix this and make sure this isn't a threat." He turned towards the two Japanese students. "Kyoko, take Hiro back to his residence."

Kyoko nodded, and pushed Hiro outside. "Wait, sir!" Hiro began to protest.

Mr. Mackenzie shook his head. "You need to go home right now. Your uncle and aunt are probably worried sick about you – it's past 1 AM and I don't need your uncle on my back about his nephew." His stern gaze became less stern. "I will see you two tomorrow. Make sure to get plenty of rest."

Hiro turned towards Kyoko, who simply gave a nod. He sighed as he picked up his flashlight, turned it off, and grabbed Marcus' wallet as well. "Take care, _sensei," _he said, and both of them walked out of the room, heading down the hall.

Then, his eyes shifted to Kyoko. _"Nakamura-chan, I can't go home yet," _Hiro began.

"_You need to," _Kyoko reaffirmed without even looking at him._ "Mackenzie-sensei said so."_

"_Yeah, but I need to find Howard-san and Nguyen-chan!" _Hiro tried to explain._ "They're somewhere in this school, and what if they don't know where I – "_

"Hiro! What were you doing on THAT _SHOW?!!"_

Hiro and Kyoko froze, and turned their heads behind them to see a very upset Lily and a very baffled Marcus behind them. _Oh, no. This doesn't look good..._Hiro thought in a panic as he began to feel himself sweat bullets and he gulped.

* * *

_**To Be Continued**_


	7. Something Went Wrong

___**Author's Notes:**_

_KingHiro: __Hopefully you enjoy this chapter like you enjoyed the others and also I'd like to take this chance to wish a happy birthday to Xin  
__Xin Fyrrae: __Yep, today is September 8__th__, which is also my birthday, and I turn 17 today. Wow, time really flies by as the years go on. Anyway, I hope you enjoy another chapter of Persona X. Please let us know how we're doing!_

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
Chapter 7: Something Went Wrong **_

* * *

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**Prince Royale Private High School**_

The two Japanese students stared in front of them at the long-haired girl and the baseball-capped boy, who were staring at them very suspiciously. _What the hell am I supposed to do? _Hiro thought as he felt himself slipping into a panic mode. _They heard everything! There is only one thing to do – run away!_

Hiro suddenly reconsidered his thought, and sweatdropped. _What is with my mind?_ he wondered with an arched eyebrow as he remembered he and Kyoko had spoken in Japanese.

Lily narrowed her eyes. "I said, what were you doing on that Wake of Dawn show, Hiro?!" she snapped, stepping forward with a hand on her waist. "Explain yourself right now!"

The gears in Hiro's head began to grate against each other furiously as Hiro began to think of what to do. They just saw Hiro, Kyoko, and Mr. Mackenzie on the Wake of Dawn, so it could be a good time to tell them the truth, but at the same, he was thinking about lying to protect them. But what if they found out the truth? And what if they tried to pursue that dangerous world from inside the computer?

At that moment, Marcus stepped in. "Yo, Super-Hiro, you kicked ASS!" he blurted out enthusiastically, slapping a hand on Hiro's shoulder. "Oh, man, like, how was it working with those guys?! Is that masked guy really the actor or what? Did you have to do all that green-screen stuff? I even forgot about my wallet for a moment!" He suddenly froze. "Oh, crap. My wallet!"

Hiro immediately thanked God for Marcus stepping in when he was about to tell the truth, until he remembered that he _had_ found Marcus' wallet. "Oh, man, and I'm so tired too..." the other boy sulked with a defeated posture. "I don't wanna keep looking around the school for that thing..."

Hiro thought it was a good time to hand it to him. "Howard-_san, _I have your wallet," said Hiro as he immediately pulled it out from his jacket pocket and handed it to Marcus. "I found it."

The eyes of Marcus immediately lit up. "Oh, dude, AWESOME!" he cried, pulling Hiro into a hug. "Thank you, man...you really are a superhero..."

Hiro just sweatdropped with this awkward wordplay. "Umm, thanks..."

Marcus looked up then to see Kyoko standing idly behind Hiro. He blinked. "Oh!" he exclaimed, and gave a smile. "Hey, Kyoko. You look very nice in all that black and white..."

Lily, meanwhile, was becoming very impatient. "Marcus!"

The capped boy turned around and let go of Hiro. "What? I was giving them compliments," he replied.

"You idiot, I was still questioning them."

"But why do they need to be questioned? They actually won the game on that show." Marcus turned back to Hiro and Kyoko in excitement. "So? So?! How much did you guys get paid?"

"Nothing," Kyoko said. "We won no money at all."

Marcus' face fell. "What?"

"Do you really think this is about the money?" the shorter-haired girl added, turning her head to look fully at Marcus.

_Oh, crap, _Hiro thought, beginning to panic again.

"Well, what was it supposed to be?" Marcus inquired, scratching the back of his head. "It's not like you had to fight for your lives, since you guys are still here and alive!"

Hiro's panic meter began to spike as he felt himself sweat again. Kyoko turned away from him. "It isn't your business anyway," she simply remarked. "You should all go home now."

Marcus raised a finger to Hiro. "But we're all staying at Super-Hiro's house."

"Then you should all go there right now."

"But you still didn't answer!" Lily snapped, and stepped forward towards Kyoko. "What exactly were you doing with Hiro and that other guy on that show?!"

Kyoko's eyes shifted towards Lily. "Once again, it isn't your business. Didn't I tell you to avoid that show in the first place?"

"Stop shrugging it off, I have every right to know!" the longer-haired girl barked, whirling her head towards Hiro. "Hiro! Exactly what was going on?!"

Hiro froze. "What was the whole point of you even going on that show, and how did you even get back to school on time?!" Lily demanded, stepping closer to Hiro. "Is it a show that actually takes place _here? _Why would you leave us to go on a wild goose chase for Marcus' wallet just for _that?!" _

"Lily, look, I can explain..." Hiro started, and then really wished he hadn't said it as Kyoko cast a cold glare towards him.

"_Izumi, don't say anything," _she commanded.

Lily turned back around. "Why shouldn't he tell me?" she growled. "I remember him talking about me and Marcus while you and him were talking about something too, what was that all about?"

_Oh, so she does know some words, _Hiro realized as he took three steps back. _This isn't good at all._

"For the last time, it isn't your concern," Kyoko reaffirmed as she lowered her gaze.

Lily was about ready to step forward to Kyoko as she opened her mouth, but at that moment, a look of pain crossed her face, and she gritted her teeth before her eyes glazed over and her eyelids closed, falling back with Marcus into the arms of a man. Hiro and Kyoko were suddenly alert. The boy looked at the person who caused this, who was none other than...

"Mr. Mackenzie?" Hiro gasped.

Mackenzie placed two fingers against Lily and Marcus' pulse. "I've learned some things from friends who practiced medicine," he said almost nonchalantly.

Hiro blinked. "You remind me of that masked ninja wannabe teacher from that one anime I used to watch a lot..."

"...umm..." A sweatdrop. "I can't tell if that was an insult or a compliment." He gave a sigh of relief, and handed Lily to Kyoko and Marcus to Hiro. "You can all go home once they come to - I don't think you have the strength to carry them back to the Johnson residence. Do it right away, otherwise I'm going to call your uncle to pick you all up."

Hiro froze as he looked outside, not wanting to explore Calgary at this time of pitch black. "Um, sir, isn't it a bad thing to allow students to walk in pitch blackness where their home is like a thirty-minute walk with a alley on the way?" he protested.

Mr. Mackenzie blinked. "Thirty minutes?! And an alley?!" He cleared his throat and shifted his eyes. "Oh, uh, well...then I guess there's only one option."

* * * * * * * *

The man pressed a button on his keys, and a blue Toyota Camry 2008 model's lights flashed as the sound of unlocking could be heard from the car. "I'M going to drop you two off back to your respective homes then," Mackenzie told them as he twirled his keys and walked over to the car.

Hiro and Kyoko exchanged glances. "Okay, thanks, Mr. Mackenzie!" Hiro called.

Mackenzie opened the shotgun door for Hiro, before helping slip a still-unconscious Lily carefully in the back with Kyoko going inside first. Then he pulled up a still-unconscious Marcus. At that moment, however, Marcus snorted and smacked Mackenzie's glasses off-position as he muttered, "You bastard, I'll show you..."

The teacher blinked, before shoving him in roughly over to Kyoko. "He's all yours," he groused, readjusting his sunglasses properly. He stepped inside the driver's seat curtly, starting the gas, and began driving out of the parking lot. "You live in Red Oak Circle, correct, Hiro?"

"That is correct, sir."

With that, Mackenzie started driving towards Red Oak Circle. They were soon halfway there in a matter of minutes without much hassle, since there were little to no vehicles out on the roads at this hour. Hiro was extremely tired about his whole experience that just happened and also happy that his friends will never know his secret, for they were pressure pointed from Mr. Mackenzie and probably would not remember.

Or at least he hoped they wouldn't as Mr. Mackenzie kept frequently double-checking the rear-view mirror with a worried look in his eyes. _Something tells me you didn't actually learn how to do proper pressure-pointing knockouts from whatever sensei taught you..._Hiro thought grimly, now very grateful that Lily and Marcus were still breathing.

It was then he remembered that he still wanted to question more about the Shadows and the midnight game show. "Um, sir, is it okay if I ask you some questions?" Hiro asked.

Mackenzie blinked. "Hm? Oh, sure, go ahead."

"Okay, first, what is with that game show?"

Mackenzie's eyes narrowed. "The Wake of Dawn isn't a game show. It was created for the sole purpose of forcing Shadows out of poor, innocent victims from our side of the world who do not realize the potential of what their Shadows could do to them...and after their Shadows take over." He turned right on the road. "You remember that robbery that took place in the Northeast?"

"Yeah, I remember seeing something about it."

"That girl was replaced by her Shadow." Mackenzie checked his rear-view mirror again. "A Shadow demands attention for being neglected, so once it fully takes over and murders its host, it will go off into the real world and do these things..."

Hiro blinked as a lightbulb turned on in his head. "Unless you accept it as being yourself."

"Yes, that is correct. A Shadow is your hidden self – your darker side. It is technically you, no matter how much you want to deny it or no matter how you dislike it." Mackenzie shrugged. "But in the end, you have to accept it as your own identity if you want to become a better person and become closer to being at peace with yourself."

Hiro folded his arms as he sat back, contemplating upon this. "You mean like that Shadow that was trying to take over me," he murmured. He smirked. "But it actually smiled to me after I accept him to be me."

Mackenzie looked towards him. "They...they usually do smile..." He shifted his eyes, concern back on his face from before. "But not in the manner that yours did..."

Hiro blinked. "What is that suppose to mean?" he asked.

"Hiro, when a person or a host of the original Shadow finds the strength of heart to face oneself...that Shadow becomes their Persona, a facade used to overcome life's hardships and troubles..." Mackenzie stopped at a red light. "In Freud's terms, it is your ego. In Layman's terms, that part of you that is not really your true self, but it helps you go along in life easier. But..." He shook his head as the green light appeared and he drove again. "Your Persona was given to you before you even accepted your Shadow."

"Oh, I see what you mean," Hiro murmured, beginning to have second thoughts. He passed it by – with Helios, he should be fine against any threats to come. But what did that mean about Kyoko? If she never faced her Shadow...how did she get her Persona? "But can you explain more about Persona and the attacks?"

"Different Personae have varieties of attacks known as skills. As you continue to use your Persona, you obtain several skills that will help you and your Persona against the dark forces of Shadows or the Data Room." Mr. Mackenzie pursed her lips as he tried to think of an example. "Think, uhh...a video game of the role-play variety, where you level up and gain experience and various items and powers."

"So that will each person who obtains a persona will have a different set of powers or something like that, for this sounds like were levelling up or training..." Hiro snapped his fingers. "Just like those Japanese RPGs I have!"

Mackenzie nodded. "Yes – imagine that your Persona is your character or your primary weapon, and not a party member. You work in tandem against the opponent until you win."

"Ah, I think I understand it now!" Hiro exclaimed as he placed his fist into his hand.

Mackenzie chuckled as he relaxed in his seat. "Good." He looked back in the rear-view mirror. "What do you think, Kyoko?"

Kyoko looked up at the front from the window. "I think that video games and real life are beginning to become far too similar. I also think it is weird how you know so much about video games, sir."

"Hey, I'm not that old to play video games," Mr. Mackenzie scoffed back with a smirk.

"Well, you have more important matters to attend to as a full-fledged adult, sir."

Hiro looked towards his teacher. "True, but how old are you anyway, sir?" he asked. "Early thirties?"

Mackenzie flushed. "I'm, uh, actually twenty-three..."

Silence.

Hiro's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Mackenzie began to sweatdrop. "I, um, just graduated out of the provincial university last year and am starting towards independent teaching this year..." he began to explain. "I'm...one of the youngest teachers in the school actually..."

"Oh, sorry then, sir," Hiro responded as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "For most people in the class thought you were thirty years old and years older than we were..."

Feeling as though a rock dropped on him, Mackenzie chuckled weakly. "So do most of the people working at the school..."

Kyoko returned to looking out the window. "I see no problem with a young teacher who seems capable of what he is doing," she stated.

Marcus stirred. "Oh Mackenzie, yeah, he acts like an old geezer," the sleeping boy muttered.

Mackenzie looked back in the rear-view mirror irritably. "There's something to be said about people who talk in their sleep...anyway, thank you, Kyoko." He started to laugh, before he stopped and his smile disappeared. "Hiro...you know, I never thanked you properly for saving my life earlier and risking yours." They stopped at a red light again, and Andrew looked towards him. "I can't do anything academically boosting for you against my educational ethics, morals, and code - you still have to accomplish that yourself in your studies."

His eyes darted around shyly. "But...if there's anything I can do for you outside of my life that does not demand me to be your instructor..." he began.

"I got it, sir," Hiro began to protest sheepishly with a chuckle. He smiled. "But it really was nothing."

Mackenzie was about to speak, before Kyoko butted in. "Then you're being an idiot. You almost lost enough blood to be in a critical state for at least a good while," she retorted.

Hiro looked back towards her. "I already been through a lot using my body to protect people," he said.

Kyoko simply shook her head. "I agree with your Shadow about one thing - you need to watch out for yourself too." Her dark eyes met with Hiro's bluish ones, and the look in them was very scolding. "If you just go on and recklessly throw yourself in the way of people, then sooner or later, you won't be able to use that body to protect people anymore."

Hiro winced. He shrugged it off and gave a sheepish laugh. "Hehe, I know, but it became a habit for me to help people in need," he simply responded with a good-natured grin.

Kyoko closed her eyes. "There's a fine line difference between helping people in need, and doing stupid things," she immediately remarked.

"Ms. Nakamura, Mr. Izumi, that's quite enough," Mr. Mackenzie interrupted sternly. His gaze softened. "Anyway, Hiro, do you have any more questions?"

Hiro looked back at Kyoko uncertainly, before he realized that they were suddenly in Red Oak Circle now. "I will ask more, sir, but I think we're almost at my house," he said, looking out his window.

Mackenzie nodded, and proceeded to slow down as he turned inside a cul-de-sac.

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence**_

Mackenzie nodded as he stopped in front of the Johnsons' house. "Here we are at the Johnsons'," he announced.

Hiro bowed his head towards his teacher. "Thanks for giving us a ride, sir."

"Any time, Hiro," the slightly older man replied. He looked at the house in awe. "My, Mr. Johnson has quite a house..."

"Yeah, he does."

Mr. Mackenzie's look became strict. "But now you will be in a lot of trouble for being out this late today," he reminded Hiro.

Suddenly a dark face loomed next to Mr. Mackenzie's window.

"Andrew...." a voice growled.

Mackenzie froze. His blood temperature began to drop as his hands gripped the wheel of his car, afraid to look to his left window or hope that no one in God's name could easily sneak to the door near to him.

"Why are you driving my nephew home at this hour of the morning...?"

Andrew was sweating bullets as his eyes began to shift to the left very slowly and bravely, a woman's face slowly coming into view. "M - Muh - Mrs. Johnson..." he stammered. "I..."

It was then that Mr. Mackenzie forgot that the doors to his car were unlocked to allow his students to get out as Luna pulled open his door and immediately grabbed his jacket collar. "Oh, my Go – " Mackenzie exclaimed in a cracked voice as he was suddenly tugged.

Hiro and Kyoko blinked as Luna dragged him out of the front seat, even though his seatbelt was still on. Hiro's aunt began to shake the teacher in anger. "What the hell do you think you're doing at my house at this hour, huh?!" she barked. "Answer me, damn you!"

Mackenzie's wide, scared eyes darted towards his student in shotgun. "Hiro, for God's sake, get Eric and save me again!" he hissed.

Hiro just sweatdropped. _He could handle fighting a shadow, but he can't handle my aunt?_ he thought. He got out of the hair and was about to go save Mr. Mackenzie again, until Luna suddenly dropped him to the ground and rushed over to Hiro, embracing him in a very tight, practically bone-crushing hug.

"Oh, Hiro, thank GOODNESS you're okay!" she cried happily. She glared back at Andrew who was trying to crawl back into the car. "Who's the one out of that insane stuck-up staff that told you to keep my dear family cooped in that building past midnight?! When I find them, I'll..."

"But aunt, it wasn't Mr. Mackenzie's fault, it was mine for me and my friends sneaked into the school to get Howard-_san's_ wallet back!" Hiro immediately protested in a strained groan.

It was then that Marcus blinked his eyes open, readjusted his glasses, and looked outside groggily. "Oh, we're here," he murmured, groaning as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, Hiro, you didn't tell me you had an older sister..."

Hiro sweatdropped, even though he was still being hugged. "I don't have a older sister, this is my aunt," he tried to explain.

Marcus blinked. "Damn, I must be seeing things," he murmured bluntly as he readjusted his glasses again. "She looks very pretty."

Luna beamed as she let go of Hiro at last. "Well, at least your friends are polite to think I'm so young," she said, and giggled as she helped Marcus out of the car. "I'm Hiro's aunt and his father's sister, Tsukiko 'Luna' Izumi, now Luna Johnson after my dear husband found me."

Marcus, still groggy and out of it, blinked. "Oh, you're married? Damn..."

Hiro sighed. _He will even go after older girls,_ he thought. _Just great..._

Lily seemed to finally wake up as well as she groaned, rubbed her right side back, and looked up at Luna, Marcus, and Hiro with a crooked visor and tired eyes. "Mrm...huh...?"

This immediately caught Luna's attention. "Hiro, she's very pretty," Luna told Hiro as she turned to look at him proudly.

Lily flushed, not knowing what to make of this. "Umm, uh...thanks for the compliment, umm..." she responded hesitantly.

_Even more great,_ Hiro thought as he fought the urge to bury his head into his hands. _She's already thinking of something to set me up, isn't she..._

Kyoko then craned her head forward to look towards Hiro's aunt. Luna blinked. "Oh...she's very pretty too," the long-haired woman noticed. She glared at Hiro. "You know, though, if you've suddenly become a pimp or something..."

Hiro began to turn pink. "Nooo, aunt Luna, it's not what you think!" he grumbled. He shook his heads. "They are just friends."

"Very pretty friends," Aunt Luna pointed out.

"Thank you," Marcus mumbled.

Mr. Mackenzie sweatdropped as Lily got out of the car, before fixing his seatbelt and looking back at Luna. "Say hi to Mr. Johnson for me, Mrs. Johnson, and I really do apologize for this mishap," he said earnestly. "I promise it will not happen again."

Luna's glare darkened as she looked at him. "It better not, Mr. Mackenzie, or else you will not be able to have children," she growled.

Mackenzie gulped. "So I'll see you around volleyball season then, Luna?" he quickly added with a grin.

Luna's mood suddenly brightened up as quickly as it had darkened. "Oh, thank you very much, Drew, and now have a safe trip home!" she chirped.

With that Mackenzie quickly drove out of the driveway and headed back to wherever he was going, most likely to drop off Kyoko. Lily turned to the aunt as she fixed her visor. "Volleyball season?" she echoed. "Do...do you work at the school?"

Luna placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah, of course," she bragged. "I'm in the volleyball team as a coach, but before asking me more about it, it should be best for you kids to sleep – after all it is almost two o' clock, and I bet you are all pretty tired."

Marcus nodded. "Thank you, auntie," he murmured groggily as he began to trudge towards the door.

Hiro lowered an eyebrow uncertainly. "Hey, she's my aunt..." he reaffirmed, and sweatdropped again. _What is on this guy's mind...?_

"Come in, kids, quickly, it's quite cold out," Luna told them as she gestured Lily inside and Hiro helped Marcus into the house.

It was then that Marcus collapsed on the couch the moment he was close enough. "Damn, I'm so tired...I can't remember anything that happened today..." he mumbled.

Lily groaned as she rubbed what Hiro assumed was the point where Mackenzie had pressed. "Nrgh...I feel kind of...sore..." she groused.

Luna's ears suddenly perked up as her head slowly turned to look at Lily, then shifted to Hiro very, very warily. _Why is she giving me that look..._Hiro thought as he narrowed his eyes in expected unexpectedness._ Don't tell me..._

"Hiro, can you come to the kitchen?" Luna asked as she walked towards it.

Hiro ran a hand through his hair. "Uhm...do I have to?" the black-haired boy protested. He looked towards a very tired Marcus and Lily. "Maybe I should show Howard-_san _and Nguyen-_chan_ to the guest roo – "

"They'll be fine. Now _get in THE KITCHEN."_

Hiro flinched at the tone of his aunt's words, and began walking to the kitchen like it was his last time to see the life of day. Luna leaned against a chair on the kitchen table. "Hiro...what exactly did you do at that school with your blonde friend and those two girls aside from 'finding a lost wallet'...?" she asked with a raised eyebrow of suspicion.

"Nothing, aunt, we were just looking for Mr. Howard's lost wallet," Hiro tried to explain.

In a low, dangerous sounding voice in Japanese, Luna said, _"Then why is that girl sore...hm, Hiro?"_

Hiro gulped. He needed a lie and fast, before his aunt thought him as a pervert.

It was then that Lily spoke up again. "Jeez, I'm completely exhausted from all that stuff we did! Next time you do something like that again, Hiro, you better think twice before you have me involved."

Luna's glare darkened as well as the room's atmosphere as Hiro's aunt clenched her trembling fists. _Can this get any worse?! _Hiro thought as he furiously tried to think of something. _Thanks for that, Nguyen-chan!_

"_Izumi Hiro..." _Luna hissed.

"_Please believe me!"_ Hiro immediately blurted out as he bowed his head forward. _"We were only looking for Howard-san's wallet in the school that we got scared off and bumped into one another hard from shock of a person behind us that was only Mackenzie-sensei!"_

Luna paused, before she folded her arms and pressed her fingers against her head in contemplation. Hiro hoped to God that his aunt would believe him as he felt his heart race.

"_Hiro...you're an adult now in Canada,"_ Luna started. _"But..."_ The woman looked up dangerously with burning eyes. _"You're not adult enough to do crazy things while you're under my watch..."_

"_Aunt, we didn't do anything,"_ Hiro protested, bowing lower. _"I'm serious, please, I'm telling the truth!"_

Luna continued to glare at him momentarily, before she closed her eyes. _"Alright." _Then, she suddenly switched from looking angry to smiling warmly. _"I just don't want you to do something that you will regret, Hiro."_

Hiro gave a huge, relieved sigh. _"Ahh, thank you, Luna-, for believing me," _he gasped.

Luna then went up to Hiro to give him another suffocating hug. Marcus could suddenly be heard loudly snoring. Hiro looked back in the living room to see Lily staring off ahead while resting her arms on the couch top, nodding off. _Man, looks like they're tired. After all, it was a big day for our friendship and a big change for my life, _Hiro realized as he looked at them.

Luna released Hiro and walked back in. "Since your male friend is already sleeping on the couch, why don't you sleep in our guest room?" she offered to Lily.

Lily was a little surprised to hear her voice, for she was in a daze. "Oh, um...sure, thank you for the short notice on everything," the younger woman replied. She shifted her eyes. "I mean, I live next door, so..."

"But don't you remember, you're sleeping over for the weekend," Hiro reminded her.

"Yeah, but..." She shifted her eyes down to Marcus. "On such short notice..." She glanced at Luna again. "Mrs. Johnson, are you sure this is alright?"

Luna nodded. "Oh, it's perfectly okay. We're always prepared, unless..." She placed her head closer, and whispered into Lily's ear: "Unless you want to share a room with Hiro."

Lily's face began to burn up as her eyes widened. "I'm just kidding!" Luna grinned as she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Hiro began to wonder what his aunt just told Lily that could make her face burn up as Lily could only manage an "uhhh..." and truth be told, didn't really want to know. "Here, let me take you to our guest room," his aunt said, beckoning for Lily to come upstairs.

Hiro now let his eyes wander from them going up to a now sleeping Marcus. "I can kick ass too...just watch me, ladies..." he murmured, then stretched and groaned as he fell off the couch.

Hiro just sweatdropped at what happened. Luna quickly ran downstairs carrying a baseball bat. "What was that?" she snapped.

"It's nothing, aunt, it was just Marcus falling from the couch."

Luna blinked. "Oh." She shrugged. "He'll be fine, just need to get a blanket for him." With that she walked back calmly upstairs, whistling as she spun the bat.

_You're just as bad as uncle sometimes..._Hiro wanted to tell her.

"Adrian..." Marcus' voice mumbled after a snore.

_Now I can't tell if he was dreaming of a girl or now a guy; Adrian is a name given to both sexes,_ Hiro wondered as he turned back to the body face-down on the carpet.

"I just wanna say one thing to my wife who's home...yo Adrian...I did it..." Marcus added, and began to snore again.

_Okay, now that confirms he talking about a girl._

"Hiro, you should be getting ready to go to sleep!" Luna's voice called.

Hiro went upstairs and grabbed his clothes, getting ready to change. Lily then walked out of a steaming washroom, wearing a pink nightgown with a teddy bear on the front, and her hair freshly dried as she combed it. "Oh, Nguyen-_chan," _Hiro blinked, then smirked. "Didn't know you still liked teddy bears."

Lily blinked back as she turned to him, and chuckled sheepishly. "Oh, yeah, this is what I quickly grabbed from my house before we went over to Prince Royale," she replied. She stepped into the room she was assigned and waved at him. "Night, Hiro!" she said, and closing the door.

Hiro sighed, nodding as he walked into the washroom, got dressed for the night, and headed back to his room. He plopped down on his bed and stared out at the night sky through his window. _So much has happened today..._he recollected. _I not only snuck back into the school to find a friend's wallet, but I got sucked into a computer, I fought against my other self called a Shadow, I learned that my teacher and a classmate fought these things called Shadows...and in the end, I accepted it as myself while gaining another side of me called a Persona._

He turned to look up at the ceiling, and closed his eyes. _What a day. I hope I can get some sleep after all this excitement._

* * * * * * * *

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**????**_

"Jeez, Blitzkrieg messed up big time, didn't he?"

The voice sounded like a female in her twenties, but it couldn't be determined at that moment because of the darkness.

A male voice spoke up, sounding around the same age. "Calm down, it wasn't Blitzkrieg's fault," the voice responded. A fist was slammed down on a table. "It was that little brat's fault for having a Persona even before he accepted his Shadow somehow. It still doesn't make any sense!"

"Will you stop freaking out?"

This voice sounded like a child's – it was uncertain if the owner of the voice was a boy or a girl. The female voice groaned. "Why should I listen to you two?" she drawled.

The male scoffed. "Because we can think rationally and we don't PMS," he responded.

"What is that suppose to mean?!"

"Exactly."

The sound of billiards balls being hit could be heard, as well as two balls being sunk into their pockets. "And that's what you should listen to the guys a little more," the male added.

The female growled. "You chauvinist..." she hissed. "One day, I hope your bigotry bites you back in the ass..."

The male was about to argue back, until a voice spoke up. "Settle down, you two," the deep voice rumbled.

All three of the unknown people turned to a fuzzy computer monitor to show a blurry image of a fully masked figure. "Blitzkrieg is fine," the image said. "Let him grumble about his losses - he'll soon realize that there are more important matters to attend to."

The female turned back to the male. "See? Even the boss agrees that Blitzkrieg is at fault," she taunted.

"I didn't say he was at fault - I said he was whining too much." The masked man lowered his gaze. "Don't stuff words into my mouth."

"Okay, okay, jeez! Sometimes you are very grouchy, boss."

The 'boss' glared towards her. "Know your place," he reminded her.

The female waved a hand dismissively. "You know you can't scare me," she shot back.

"Hey, don't be mean to 'Papa'!" the child whined, looking up at the female.

"Yeah, don't be mean to 'Papa', otherwise you'll get punished for being a bad girl," the male teased, his head turned towards the female.

"Fine, I'll stop," the female groused. "And I know what you're thinking, you pervert."

The male just chuckled as he turns back to the TV. "So, what's our main concern supposed to be then?" he wanted to know.

The masked man lowered his head. "It's about that group that destroyed the 'game' losing streak," the boss said back primly.

The male's smile faded. "Oh, that stupid brat and that bitch and that other guy," he listed off casually, tossing the pool chalk into the air. "What about them?"

"They seem very strong, don't you think so, my 'children'?" the man on the side of the monitor asked.

"Strong? Pft, I can show you how weak they are if you let me handle them," the female scoffed, grabbing the chalk from the male swiftly.

"Now, now, my stubborn daughter, you shouldn't just run in with your mood swings," the boss scolded her.

The female was not happy about this comment at all as she glowered angrily at her boss while the male chuckled. The kid looked up at the monitor. "But Papa, will they be able to hurt you, for you are the best!" the child chirped.

"Hmph. You really think that they would be able to hurt me, no matter how strong they look?" His voice became light. "You should have more faith in your Papa."

The kid giggled. "Yeah, papa is so strong!"

"Jeez, you act like a kid," the male grumbled.

"Uh, maybe it's because he IS a kid, you dumbass?" the female retorted, now the one tossing the chalk into the air.

The male caught it before it could even fall back. "Tch tch. Such a mouth on such a pretty lady," he murmured disapprovingly.

The female cursed, stood up and reached for the pool stick, until their superior barked, "Enough of this!"

The two stopped arguing as they turned back to the screen, but the kid start to tear up from this sudden outburst of anger. "Settle down, settle down," the boss reassured the youngest. "It will be alright, if your brother and sister would stop arguing once in a while."

The child sniffed and nodded. "Okay."

The male shook his head and took another shot at a ball to calm himself down, while the female lowered her gaze. "Anyway, what are we going to do about these buzzkills?" she demanded. "They're really not making things any better for us."

This remark brought out a low chuckle from their boss. Everyone of them looked up in confusion and curiosity. "Papa, why are you laughing?" the kid asked.

"Yeah, 'dad'," the male drawled. "Do enlighten us."

"Well, you see, that boy who accepted his Persona _and _his Shadow will have a nice treat tonight," their boss explained.

All of them raised their eyebrows, wondering what this 'treat' was. Pleased that he had their attention, he continued on. "The tasting will all begin when he begins to sleep."

The female and kid exchanged looks, and the male gave a loud groan. "A nightmare? How passé..." he muttered.

The screen began to fade out slowly. "You kids have a good night's sleep for tomorrow," the voice of the boss said.

The kid beamed. "Night, Papa!" the child called, waving at the monitor.

"Night," the male and female said back as well, albeit the enthusiasm.

The screens blackened out, and the room was engulfed in complete darkness once again. The male sighed, and returned back to his game. "Eight ball, top right."

The cue connected with the desired call, and the shot was nailed. "Show off," the female shot as she placed her stick against her stool and stood up.

The male simply laughed as he rested against the pool stick. "Hey, with a little practice, you can be as good as me, princess."

"Show off," the female repeated again. She walked off with a flip of a finger. "If you excuse me, I'm going to sleep."

"I'm going to bed too," the kid agreed, and yawned. "I'm sleepy..."

The man shrugged. "Might as well," he murmured, lifting the stick off the ground as he straightened himself up. "After all, having a winning steak makes you a tired person."

"Not if you've been ripped off of that streak, goddamn it all."

The male smirked as he cast a look behind him at the holder of the familiar voice. "Well, well, well," the male drawled. "You don't look very tired, so I take it you're still upset about your combo breaker."

Blitzkrieg gave a scoff as he stepped forward. "Shut up. This game was interfered with anyway," he retorted. He grabbed a stick and a chalk, rubbing it at the tip as he approached the pool table and his fellow comrade. "So how was your guys' day anyway while I had to sit and watch my ratings crumble to dust?"

"Well, Papa did tell us that boy who had the honour of playing that game will receive a 'special treat'," the other male replied, readying his own stick again.

Blitzkrieg grabbed the cue ball as the balls were suddenly set up in place again. "A special treat?" he repeated spitefully. "Pft, none of them deserve anything special. Solids game." He hit the cue ball towards the triangle, watching them scatter as a two and a four fell into the left top and right pockets.

The other man shook his head. "Tch. Give me stripes, will you, Blitzkrieg?" he sighed. He placed himself into position and hit the cue, sinking three. "You always took advantage far too much...must be why you screwed up today..."

Blitzkrieg whipped his head towards his voice. "Will you just shut up, Shotgun?!" he barked.

The room was still too dark to see the other man's body, save for a glint of his own mask, and Blitzkrieg gritted his teeth in more irritation as Shotgun began to talk again. "Your temper leaves something to be desired, Blitzkrieg," the male murmured. Then he laughed softly. "And it's amazing how cool you can be in front of a camera..."

"Just shut up already," the black-suited man groaned as he grabbed the cue and prepared to make another strike. "I promise you, I will make them pay."

He slid the stick forward and whiffed horribly as the ball bounced off the table and onto the ground. Shotgun began to giggle. "You don't sound or look very convincing right now." The cue ball reappeared, and the next minute two stripes were nailed as he spun the cue stick in his hand coolly. "Guess that means I will have a winning streak while you will have a losing streak, no matter what."

Blitzkrieg gripped the stick in his hand tightly, a snap being heard. "We'll just see about that," he growled, and threw the broken piece down as he began to storm off.

The male pursed his lips, a bit disappointed that his fellow 'brother' couldn't finish what he started. "Someone is a sore loser!" he called.

"Go to sleep, Shotgun!"

"Fine, fine, jeez," the male retorted, waving a hand as he prepared to sink in the remaining balls.

It was then that he heard Blitzkrieg chuckle. "After all...you should prepare for when 'Papa' wants you around," the other man's voice said. He laughed. "Which won't be awhile, I mean...why does he keep asking me to do the dirty work?"

Shotgun lowered his gaze. "So I'll get excited if Papa finally makes me do the dirty work," he replied simply, turning towards where Blitzkrieg had walked away. "What's wrong with that, Blitz?"

It was then that Blitzkrieg appeared right behind Shotgun. He snatched Shotgun's stick and smacked the rest of the solids into their respective holes, the cue just barely on the edge of the center hole. Blitzkrieg smirked at the now-annoyed other man. "Don't get too excited now..." he began, before he shoved the stick back roughly into Shotgun's hands and glared at him mask-to-mask. "While _I'm_ still here."

Shotgun shoved the stick back into Blitzkrieg's hands. "Great, thanks for ruining my joyous moment," he pouted. "Jeez, I'm going to bed. I hope you have a good night, you douchebag."

Blitzkrieg just gave a sly smile as he watches Shotgun storm off. He grabbed the cue ball again and aimed for the only ball that was now suddenly left on the table - the eight. "I hope you have a good night...Hiro Izumi," he said, and hit the eight ball square into the center pocket.

With that, the remaining member of the strange and menacing group chuckled as he walked off into the darkness.

* * * * * * * *

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence**_

It was very late still as Lily slept on the comfortable guest bed that Luna had provided for her. The door creaked open, and a shadow crept into her room, and loomed over her. Lily began to stir, and she opened her eyes to look at the figure. "Huh?" she mumbled. She raised an eyebrow groggily. "Hiro?"

Just then the shadow grabbed her neck and pulled her up. Lily began to choke as she tried to scream and get out of the grip. "H- Hi - Hiro, wh - wha – " she croaked with horrified eyes.

She kicked him away and attempted to bolt out of the room, but not before his arm grabbed her hair and pulled her back sharply, quickly muffling her mouth with the other hand before she could even cry. "Nguyen-_chan_...you need to stop getting so angry at me and assuming things..." Hiro's voice said.

He wrapped her hair around her neck, and began to pull it back against it very roughly, choking her again as Lily gave a very strained, muffled cry, her eyes wide as tears begin to flow down them in pain.

"It hurts me when you do that..." Hiro sighed.

He let go of her mouth, and Lily rasped, "Hiro...it...hurts..."

Hiro paused, before he chuckled. "Good," he replied. "Because I wanted that to happen."

He pulled back sharply, and then let go of her, watching Lily's limp body fall off the bed and to the floor without another word. Hiro looked into the mirror in her room, and asked his reflection with a strange smile and yellowish, dead eyes, "Didn't that feel good?"

"Wh...what did I just do...?"

Hiro's eyes returned to normal as he began to see the body of Lily lying on the ground, her eyes wide and her mouth open, not moving. "Didn't it feel good, for you know you can't trust anyone that will try to make friends with us," the image in the mirror told him with the same smile from before.

Hiro turned back to his reflection. "Wi...with us...?" he repeated, unsure of what was going on at this moment.

The other Hiro chuckled, before the mirror image pushed itself out, and grabbed Hiro's pajama collar forcefully as it pulled him face-to-face. "With ME."

Hiro was staring at himself, at a loss of what to do or say. His reflection's eyes flashed. "I am thou..." he started to chant as he began to become engulfed in a dark flame. "And thou art I...that's what I...I..._I_ was supposed to tell you first..."

"What the hell do you mean?" Hiro whispered.

The reflection lowered his gaze. "I'll say it again." He began to pull him closer. "You are me...and I...am...you..."

"But I already accepted my Shadow!" Hiro protested, trying to struggle out. He looked up with desperate eyes. "I know you are me!"

The Shadow sighed and shook his head. He reached out another hand to cup Hiro's face, before his smirk suddenly turning into a sharp-toothed scowl as his eyes flashed again. "What kind of fool do you take me for..." he growled.

His humanly figures began to disfigure as the Shadow began to shift into something larger. Hiro's eyes widened as he tried to get out of the Shadow's grip. _"No...no..."_ he gasped, closing his eyes and shaking his head furiously. _"Stop it, what are you doing?! I already thought I accepted you!"_

"Hiro..."

Hiro gasped as his head turned to look back at Lily's body on the ground, looking up at him with dead, soulless eyes, but her lips continuing to move. "Hiro..."

"_Hiro!"_

* * *

_**To Be Continued**_


	8. Reinforcing the Bonds

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
Chapter 8: Reinforcing the Bonds**_

* * *

_**October 1, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence**_

Hiro gasped and sat up with a start from his bed, sweating and wide-eyed as he panted for air. He looked to his left to see Lily right beside his bed. "Man, Hiro, you're really hard to wake up," she exclaimed, and held up his clock. "It's almost afternoon!"

Hiro began to look at the time and realized that yes, yes she was telling the truth. He had slept in far too late. He gave a sigh of relief, glad that he was back in reality, when suddenly he opened his eyes again and turned to his door. It probably was his imagination or being groggy from resting, but he noticed a pair of eyes peeking through his door very suspiciously.

At this point, Lily looked around his room, noting the TV he had and the sleek black gaming console connected to it. Her eyes widened as she caught side of one of the posters on his wall, near the window. "Hey, you like that game too!" She began to crawl over Hiro's bed. "Oh, it has the Japanese name on here. Sweet! Have you beaten that one level yet where Wesker throws his glasses at you? It's so hard for me..."

The eyes suddenly narrowed even more suspiciously. Hiro turned to look at the poster of the man and woman holding large guns and the red five slashed across the title. "Oh, no, I didn't beat it yet," he responded, before he looked back to the door to meet eye-to-eye with this other person's. "It's not the same without zombies..."

"True. And you have the newest PS4 model too? How'd you manage to get it, was it something you brought from Japan?"

"Oh!" Hiro stood up, got off his bed, and walked towards the console. "This was a present I got from my aunt and uncle of couple days when I arrived here, as well as the computer." He scratched his head. "I don't think this is that new for it was just released one year ago."

Lily just rolled her eyes, still amazed that he had one. She continued to snoop around his room. There was a PSP Go resting on a table next to the computer's cubicle-like desk, with the sticker "Junes" on it, as well as some homework, and other personal things laid out on it, such as a framed photo of Hiro's family – his father, his mother, himself, as well as a very young Ai and Akira. She picked up the photo. "Hey, so this is your family."

"Yeah, that's my family."

The girl chuckled. "Your aunt reminds me of a more female version of your dad," she noticed. She stared at it more closely. "He's wearing a uniform here - is he a cop?"

Hiro nodded. "He was, one of the best before..."

Lily blinked, and opened her mouth, about to ask if he was laid off. Then it suddenly dawned on her what he meant. Her gaze suddenly depressed, and she looked back at the photo. "But...well, what about your mother..."

Hiro looked back up. "Oh, she was trying out for the softball association to complete her dream, and also..." The boy gave a small, wistful smile as he mimicked a smooth baseball throw. "She began to help me with pitching a baseball," he finished.

"...I see." Lily nodded, before she shifted her eyes. "Is she still...or did she..."

Hiro's eyes begin to darken as he looked away. Lily quickly set down the photo back on the table. "A - anyway!" she started nervously, hoping to change the subject. She placed a hand on her other arm. "Sorry about yesterday, getting mad at you all like that about...The Wake of Dawn."

Hiro was shocked of what he just heard. He thought that she didn't remember it. Lily scoffed. "Oh, come on, I remember some things before everything went blank," she reprimanded him.

Hiro, shaken from his shock, blinked. "Oh, um, it's okay, Nguyen-_chan,_" he began.

Lily turned his back to him. "Whatever the reason is, if it really isn't my business or if you REALLY don't want to tell me, that's fine. I'm sure you have your reasons," she simply told him. Then, she looked back with a good-natured smirk. "You don't look like a guy who would hurt his friends."

Suddenly, Hiro's eyes widened. He became frightened from that statement as he began having flashbacks of his nightmare, replaying as clearly as they did before. He began to hold his head in pain as he gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut.

Lily turned fully back around. "Hiro?"

Hiro's mind began to block out reality as he began to hear the voice...

"_It hurts me when you do that..."_

That horrible voice...

Hiro, still holding his head in slight pain, attempted to try everything he could to block it out.

_"What kind of fool do you take me for..."_ the Shadow hissed.

Lily now looked concerned as her eyes widened. "Hiro?! Hiro!"

_Shut up shut up shut up, damn it! _

"Hiro, snap out of it!" Lily cried, shaking him roughly.

As though she had broken a spell, Hiro's eyes opened wide. It was short-lived as Hiro began to descend to the ground face-first, his eyelids closing. He did not the ground as the person who was glancing at them from the door quickly saved him.

Eric looked down at him vaguely. "Good thing I came by just to save Hiro from a bruising fall," he murmured.

Lily took a step back. "What's happening to him?" she demanded.

Eric began to check Hiro's forehead to find out that he was burning up. His gaze hardened. "What...how cold was it last night in that school...?" he wondered.

Lily blinked. "It was a normal room temperature..." she responded hesitantly, realizing badly that Hiro was somehow really sick.

Eric frowned. "It...it was a little chilly outside...this is probably because Hiro's still not used to Calgary's weird weather." He shook his head. "That's the last time I let you guys stay out that long for a good while. But now I got to put Hiro back in his bed, and thankfully, we're in his room right now."

Lily frowned as well. "But he hasn't even eaten breakfast or lunch," she explained. "He'll need something to eat."

Hiro's uncle carried him back to his bed and set him down. Eric pulled the blanket back over Hiro. "Don't worry, my wife is off today so she might be able to cook breakfast," he said. "It's only 9:30 anyway. She will be awake at 9:45, always a habitat of hers."

"...uhm...Mr. Johnson..."

The brown-haired looked behind him. "Yeees, Ms. Nguyen?"

Ms. Nguyen's eyes shifted back to the clock on the desk next to Hiro's bed. "It's...it's noon right now..." she pointed out.

Eric cocked an eyebrow as his eyes widened. He looked at Hiro's clock. Then, he looked at his watch. He looked back up with an astonished face, then walked out of Hiro's room. After about ten seconds, Eric walked back into Hiro's room with a bothered face.

The pause was broken by Lily. "Did your room's clock stop?" she asked.

"...no...somebody changed the time..." Eric began, shifting his eyes to Hiro initially.

There wee suddenly snickers from outside, and Eric turned his head behind him to see two pairs of identical brown eyes look through the door crack that belonged to two very young, sneaky, vengeful children that want revenge on their uncle for waking them up later or earlier than usual. "I should have known," Eric groused.

The twins began to laugh, until they saw their big brother in bed still, looking faint and bothered. Ai was the first to walk in. "Will _onii-chan_ be alright?" she questioned timidly.

Eric's expression became serious. "You saw what just happened, didn't you?" he accused.

Ai and Akira exchanged glances, before they turned back to their uncle and nodded guiltily and sadly. Eric began to sigh. "Well, yes, I believe your _onii-chan_ will be okay if he just rests – he only has a fever," he explained.

Lily bent down and looked at them, giving them a small smile. "He'll be alright. Don't worry."

Akira bit his lower lip hesitantly before he nodded. However, Ai looked right past her in disbelief, back towards Hiro. Lily noticed this, and glanced towards Ai, confused. Why she didn't believe her?

When the two girls' eyes met, it was Ai who quickly looked away. "You were there when _onii-chan_ get hurt," the girl muttered. "Why?"

Lily froze. "Why, what?"

Ai said nothing as her head shied away a bit more, away from Lily. Akira looked at her empathetically, seeming to understand what she was feeling, before he looked back at Lily and nodded. "So will he be okay?"

"As your uncle said as he gets some rest – then he will be okay."

Akira began to smile, as did Ai, but it didn't take much for Lily to see that her smile was a forced one. Eric stood up and walked towards the door. He stopped and turned his head to face Lily and Hiro's bed. "Would you like to eat now, Lily? I can wake Luna up."

The girl blinked. "Oh, um, sure," she replied, scratching her head and choosing not to tell them about that apple she had taken from their fruit basket earlier.

Akira's face lit up. "Yes, finally, lunch!" he beamed. He turned to his sister. _"Come on, Ai!"_

Ai nodded, and both of them started to walk off. Lily was about to follow them until she felt Mr. Johnson put a hand over her shoulder. Wondering why he did this, Lily turned her own head now to see a grim expression on his face. "Lily, I have to advise you to never bring up Hiro's parents for a while," he warned. He shook his head. "It's still a very deep scar that I believe will take a while to even heal now."

Eric then lifted his hand off Lily's shoulder to walk off back to his room to wake up his wife. Lily just stood there in place, thinking about what Mr. Johnson had told her and was now looking straight at Hiro from the doorframe. _Hiro, _she wondered as she looked concerned. _I may have misjudged you. What did happen to you in the past that left you...this scarred?_

With that, Lily began to walk away and started downstairs to the kitchen, where she saw the twins, as well as Marcus, sitting at the table with some cold cereal and some slices of bread. Her blond friend looked up, set down the knife in his hand against a tub of butter, and waved. "Oh, hey, Lily!" He grinned as he gestured discreetly to the siblings with a thumb. "Did you know Hiro had a twin brother and sister? It's awesome!"

Lily's eyes narrowed. "What did you think they were?" she asked, afraid to ask about what Marcus was about to say.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "What, I thought they were twins," he replied, placing his glasses on. He folded his arms. "What, you thought that I was going to think something else?"

Lily groaned and shook her head as she took a seat at the table. She looked towards Ai and Akira, wanting to make conversation with these two. After all, she wanted to know a little bit more about Hiro's family...what was left of them anyway. "So, Akira, how is school?" she began, starting with the boy first.

Akira blinked, before he shrugged. "Good, just great. I made lot of friends and many are girlfriends."

"ARGH!" Marcus cried.

Akira, Lily and Ai immediately looked at him questionably. The tall Caucasian clutched the sides of his head with his hands. "It runs in their blood..." he seethed.

Lily frowned. "What do you mean by that, Marcus?"

Marcus' lips pouted. "This Izumi family is clearly all made up of babe magnets and pretty women..."

Akira gave him a very quizzical look as he scooted slightly away from Hiro's male friend. "I don't get what you mean, those girls are just friends," he argued.

"Yeah, that's what you think..." Marcus muttered.

Lily sweatdropped and fought the urge to slap her palm in her face as she turned to the female twin. "And you, Ai?"

Ai was beginning to look down to the ground. Lily, not understanding what was going on with Ai, was even more confused now as she raised an eyebrow. When she visited and met her the first time, Ai was all cheerful, but now she seems all gloomy and...hesitant around her. Why?

Akira looked towards her. "Ai, come speak up, don't be so rude," he told her.

Ai began to glare at him for saying that to her, but she gave up and answered Lily's question. "Well, I make a lot of girlfriends, but few friends that are boys," she responded softly.

"Why do you have a few boys as your friends?"

It was then that Akira rolled his eyes. "Because she's a girl?" he scoffed.

"Yeah, you don't know because you don't act like a girl at all," Marcus snickered.

Lily looked at him, annoyed. "Marcus? Shut up..." she groaned.

Marcus' smirk grew wider as he leaned back in his chair. "What? Just telling the truth," he remarked.

It was then that Lily was about to hit Marcus until...

"_Ohayo..."_

Lily stopped mid-way before punching to see Hiro's aunt Luna trudge downstairs, looking very dishevelled and tired. Marcus' eyes widened as he caught sight of her. "What's wrong with you, Mrs. Johnson?" he marvelled as he lowered his glasses.

Luna dragged herself over to the pantry, opened the door, took out a can of instant coffee and turned on a kettle on an electric heater for some hot water. "Mrm," she simply mumbled as Eric walked into the kitchen and scratched his head.

"Ahh, she gets like this when we oversleep," he explained as he tied his hair back. He paused as he stopped and pursed his lips. "And when we've had a long night."

Ai and Akira blinked. "What do mean by long night?" Akira asked.

Their uncle's eyes immediately shifted. "Oh." He continued to look away awkwardly, before he shifted his eyes back to them solemnly and told them earnestly, "Well, your brother didn't come home until one, so we WERE pretty worried."

Marcus leaned over towards Lily. "I like how he tries to hide like something else has happened," he whispered.

Lily shifted his eyes to him. "Yeah, I know."

Eric walked over to where Luna was standing, still half-asleep holding a spoon and the coffee canister in her hands. He turned off the kettle, poured her a cup of hot water, grabbed her spoon and coffee and stirred in the mix, then poured in some flavoured cream before giving it to her. "Here, dear."

Luna took it with slow hands. _"Arigatou gozaimushh,"_ she slurred. The woman proceeded to take a long sip, before she gave a rejuvenated sigh and blinked open her eyes. "Ugh, too much sleep and staying up for you..."

At this moment, Lily immediately looked away from her, and Marcus shuffled his feet in uncertainty. Guilt began to fill them for making this woman stay up late and making her worry about her nephew. "Speaking of which, where is Hiro?" Luna wondered as she turned fully towards her husband. "He should be down here already."

Ai and Akira looked up from their bowls of cereal, and exchanged glances. "Uhm, well..." Eric began, sweatdropping instantly.

Luna blinked. "Well, what?"

Marcus and Lily were the next two to look at each other nervously. What will he tell her?

Eric began to scratch the back of his head as he gritted his teeth and looked to the side edgily. "Well you see, it's that – "

"Yeeees...?"

The long-haired man swallowed and began to nervously speak slowly, being very careful of what to say as he stepped near the table. "He's oversleeping, because of yesterday...and he's quite tired, and a little sick..."

Luna nodded. "Oh, I see."

Suddenly, she paused for a second and carefully remembered what was just said.

"Wait. SICK?!"

Luna dropped her cup of coffee to the ground, creating the shattering sound of ceramic as she bolted towards her husband and grabbed him by the collar of his blue dress shirt. "What do you mean he's SICK?!" she snapped, shaking him furiously while the kids began to sweatdrop at what was happening. Her eyes burned with fury as she leaned closer to his face. "You go in to check on that internet cafe on yours, RIGHT?! Well then, you better tell Drew he better watch his back when I see him next year for volleyball and tennis season! His swing arm is no match for my deadly spike blow!"

Ai and Akira began to hold onto each, afraid of their aunt. Lily flinched a little but Marcus was smirking. "Oh, sweet, so we get breakfast and a show!" he grinned as he leaned back and watched.

"Honey, I am so sorry," Eric rasped as he struggled to push her away. "I'll make sure to send him your regards, but will you let go of me first, please? I'm losing oxygen!"

Luna immediately let go, dropping him on the ground with a _thud _as the younger ones in the room winced. "Oh, of course, I'm so sorry!" she gasped. "But first I have to check on how Hiro is feeling right now."

With that, Luna walked back upstairs, her face darkening again. "Jeez, he's only been here for, I don't know, like two weeks and he's already sick, all because of that idiot Drew..." she grumbled.

Eric shifted his eyes again as he sat up and groaned, sweatdropping.

* * * * * * * *

Luna walked into Hiro's room. She wondered why he looked like he was sleeping rather tiredly, as though he had passed out. Her expression changed to one of worry, and reached a hand to his forehead.

_Huh?_

She arched an eyebrow in confusion. Luna's hand moved away from his forehead to his neck. The warmth caused Hiro to stir as he opened his eyes halfway. "Nnn...?"

Luna narrowed her eyes even more in confusion. _"You're...fine..."_ she murmured thoughtfully.

Hiro blinked as he focused his vision on her. "Really? That's kind of strange," he agreed, placing his own hand over his forehead. He passed out earlier...due to...

Luna nodded, and pulled Hiro upwards into a sitting position. She inspected his face. "Well, you aren't very pale, your nose is not runny...your eyes are a little strained and you do have eyebags from staying up, but other than that, you're not sick." She tilted her head curiously. "Do you feel sick at all?"

Hiro shook his head. "I don't know anymore, for all I remember was my head hurting a little bit and I began to collapse."

"Probably a lack of sleep then," his aunt concluded. She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "But sleeping in too much won't do you much good, Hiro. It is just as bad for your health as it is to have a lack of sleep."

Hiro agreed as he nodded his head to confirm that he understood. With that he began to get out of bed. Luna began to smile. "That's better. Now, come on, I'll make you brunch with your friends."

Hiro nodded for confirmation. He remembered that he probably made everyone worried. He followed his guardian downstairs and saw Eric, Lily, Marcus, and Ai and Akira eating. It was Lily who first spoke up when she noticed him with a start. "Hiro!" she gasped. "Are you okay?"

Ai and Akira stopped eating for a second to see their big brother standing in front of them. "Hiro-_onii-chan!"_ he exclaimed, and dropped his spoon as he and Ai ran up to him. _"Are you alright?!"_

Ai nodded rapidly. _"Yeah, are you okay, onii-chan?"_

Hiro shot them a reassuring smile. "I'm fine," their older brother replied. "Apparently." He yawned. "So, what's for brunch?"

Before anyone could reply, the twins leaned forward and hugged Hiro very hard. "Don't stay out that late again!" Akira barked.

Ai buried her head into his clothes. "I was worried about your safety!" she cried.

Luna shook her head. "See how worried you made your brother and sister, Hiro?" she said rather primly.

Marcus began to shift uncomfortably again, looking a bit guilty and sheepish, and Lily just sighed, defeated. Hiro himself began to feel guilty – the last thing he wanted to do was make his two siblings...his only blood family besides Luna...worry.

_What if I told them...?_

Luna narrowed her eyes. "Hiro, honestly. This is more serious than you thought it would be. I don't know how much home has changed, but if you were able to go off that late at night with your friends, that's not good at all." She folded her arms. "From now on, we're going to have to do something about this."

Hiro looked on past her. He deserved this. He'd protect his secret in order to protect Ai and Akira and those close to him. Even at the same time, he was lucky and fortunate that Marcus and Lily will not get in trouble.

It was then that Marcus' eyes looked towards ground. "It's kind of my fault, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson," he spoke up. He gulped. "I made them go out that late at midnight just so I could get my wallet back." He hung his head in shame, all happiness gone from his face. "I'm really sorry..."

Hiro looked straight at Marcus, absolutely blown over. Why was he doing this?

Marcus looked up, courage now finding . "Hey, c'mon, man. I really owe it to you, and Lily, that you helped me out." He lifted his head back up. "So this is me sticking up for you."

_Can everybody read my mind?! _Hiro wondered incredulously as he stared ahead at his male friend, blinking in surprise.

Lily was also surprised as she whispered, "Marcus, you don't have to own up to all of this..."

He shook his head. "No, Lily, don't try to get involved. It was all my fault." He nodded back at Hiro. "Super-Hiro's an honest guy. I mean, ever since we met him, he hasn't really done anything against us." He gave an earnest smile. "Don't you think so?"

She blinked, before she looked back at Hiro. So did Marcus as he waited for an answer – from which of his friends, it wasn't certain.

Hiro's eyes stayed wide as he just looked at them, speechless. He did overhear – that was a nice thing of them to say. With that, he gave a smile back to them, causing Lily and Marcus to become a bit off guard, and was about to step forward to thank them personally...

...before he realized he couldn't move.

Hiro looked down to see Ai and Akira still clinging onto him tightly. "Umm Ai, Akira, how long are you going to be clingy onto me?"

Ai sniffed. _"I don't want to let you go..."_ she whined.

Akira scoffed. _"Wuss."_

"_I don't see you letting go either..."_

Akira began to break down his being-a-man attitude to the little boy attitude as he started to tear up a little. _"But I don't want to let go either!"_

Luna placed a hand on the side of her face. _"Such a tender bonding moment..."_ In that instant she pulled back arms and pulled them all in her embrace tightly. _"MY BROTHER WOULD BE PROUD OF YOU ALL!"_

Eric, seeing this loving family moment, simply sat back in his chair, and decided to do one thing.

"Aww, such a sweet and tender family moment that you forgot about me, the great uncle Eric Johnson," he muttered as he looked away in envy.

The Izumis stared at him blankly. Marcus and Lily sweatdropped as they exchanged glances.

Ai and Akira, still clinging onto their onii-chan, narrowed their eyes. _"Uncle, nice way to ruin the moment," _Akira muttered.

"_Shh,"_ Luna hissed. _"Be nice to uncle."_

Eric's eyes began to water. "Why are you talking about me?!" he bawled as he placed his head into his arms on the table.

Lily's sweatdrop deepened. "You know, some day when you marry, that's gonna be you, Marcus..." she deadpanned.

Marcus's eyes shifted towards her, unimpressed. "Shh...don't make this more awkward than it is..."

"Well, it's okay. You'll be lucky if you find somebody anyway."

Hiro began to sweatdrop as well from Eric and Marcus' antics as he thought about this_. They almost have the same personality, but one is a major pervert that will go after girls – even older ones – and one is being in a tearing moment after ruining a family moment excluding him from it._

Luna sighed as she walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a frying pan. "Oh, relax, Eric-bear, you've had enough love for a while," she commented dryly.

Eric suddenly gave a sly smile as he eyed his wife. "Oh, don't we know it," he purred.

Hiro's eye twitched. _Okay...actually, I think they're both more alike than I thought..._he concluded.

"Oh!" Eric snapped his fingers and looked towards his nephew. "Since it's the weekend, Hiro, do you and your friends want to hit 'Wired Up' and help me run it for today?"

Lily blinked. "Huh?"

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "'Wired Up'?"

Eric stood up and placed his plate in the sink. "Ai and Akira, you can come too," he added. He gave them a thumbs-up. "Play some games on the computers."

"Computers?" Lily placed a finger on her chin. "Um, are we going to an internet cafe?"

Mr. Johnson nodded proudly. "I run an internet cafe, and today I'm gonna be there to oversee some things as the manager. Who knows, maybe you'll see some familiar people!"

Marcus' eyes lit up. "Aw, sweet!" he retorted. "I've never been to one before. Can you eat food there?"

"Marcus, we just ate!" Lily groused.

"Yeah, I know, but just in case I wanna visit in case my net doesn't work on mine..."

"Oooh, let's hope your internet sucks then," Eric immediately said as he placed a hand on Marcus' shoulder. "I could use some customers, but for now you all will be free today." He looked at Ai and Akira, then Hiro, then Lily and Marcus. "Whaddaya say?"

They all nodded, curious to see the place. Hiro then wondered if he should tell Marcus and Lily about the one most familiar person they would probably meet, but decided to keep it as a surprise as he sat down at the table as Luna slid an omelette onto his plate. "I was gonna shop with Ai and Akira for some new clothes with some friends since I was off, but it's fine, you all can go," she told them.

Her husband slapped her hands together. "Alright then, get your stuff ready, ladies and gentlemen, as we are about to set off to see my accomplishments!" he boasted as he walked back upstairs.

Marcus looked towards Hiro. "Does it really look that good, Hiro?" he questioned.

Hiro shrugged, uncertain of how to answer that. "It's alright. You can be judging that."

"Alright, sweet!" Marcus whooped. He stood up from the table and placed his stuff in the sink as he walked upstairs. "Then let's get ready, maybe I'll see some friends and buds or pretty girls."

Hiro and Lily sweatdropped, as did Ai and Akira.

"Hiro, he is strange."

Hiro shot a look towards his younger brother. "Akira!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "It's okay, Akira," she reassured him. "That's absolutely true."

Luna gave a wistful smile as she began to turn on the water. "He reminds me of a younger version of Eric..." she murmured thoughtfully as she placed on some rubber gloves.

Everyone at the table groaned lightly.

* * * * * * * *

As everyone went upstairs to get ready, Hiro paused and turned to face himself in the mirror, fully focusing on his face – his clothes; dark jeans and a logoed, colourful T-shirt, newly washed and ironed. His black hair, spiked. His blue eyes – they were from his grandmother on his mother's side – troubled. He looked carefully at his reflection, feeling very unnerved.

_That nightmare...that vision...could it mean that...that I – ?!_

His blood suddenly began to turn cold. He shook his head quickly, dismissing his thoughts as he finished washing his face and making sure all the spikes in his hair look alright.

_"Onii-chan?"_

Hiro looked down to see Ai looking up at him worriedly. She looked back down sadly, playing with a ribbon on the side of her hair. _"Are you sure you're alright?" _she wondered, her voice soft.

Hiro gave her a confident smile as he placed his hand over her head. _"Yeah, I told you guys, I'm alright,"_ he replied. He smirked as he picked up his headphones from the counter and placed them over his neck. _"You don't have to worry about me."_

Ai simply nodded, and smiled back up at her older brother. They left the washroom...not realizing that the reflection of Hiro watched them leave with menacing, faintly glowing, yellow-tinted eyes.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_


	9. The Sudden Obstacle

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
**__**Chapter 9: The Sudden Obstacle**_

* * *

_**October 1, 2016  
**_"_**Wired Up" Internet Café**_

The Honda finally halted to a stop in front of the café. Eric was the first to step out of his car. As he closed the door, the brown-haired man looked around with curiosity as he placed a hand to his chin. "Hmm, looks like he isn't here yet..." he murmured to himself thoughtfully.

The back door opened, and Ai and Akira quickly jumped out as Lily and Marcus both gasped in unison and tried to make their way out. Both of them had been squished in the back seat with the two twins. Hiro sweatdropped as he stepped out of shotgun, watching the two gulp in air frantically as though they had just escaped from a stopped elevator.

"I can finally breathe!" the baseball-capped male rasped.

Lily shook her left foot as she gingerly placed it down. "My leg can finally wake up! Your butt was on it for like the whole ride!"

Marcus gave her a look. "Hey, don't blame me!" he argued, pointing at the twins who stared at them from a distance. "It was their fault!"

Akira blinked before he scowled. "Come on! You are bigger than us!" he pointed out right away.

"But your sister was heavy!" Marcus snapped back.

Ai's eyes suddenly flickered as small, angry feelings welled up in her towards Marcus' statement. There was only one thing she could do about this...

Ai began to walk up to Hiro and slowly grasped his hand. Hiro blinked, wondering what Ai was doing, and looked down at her face before all of a sudden he felt gravity immediately crush down on him as he saw something that any person would be vulnerable to...

Marcus blinked. "Eh...?"

Hiro's eye twitched as he looked at Ai's wide, dark eyes beginning to well up. Not her famous puppy dog eyes, anything but that! _"Oh, no..." _Hiro and Akira uttered, immediately knowing where this was going.

Marcus froze. "H-huh?!" he stuttered, now beginning to feel nervous as he glimpsed her face. "Uhh..."

Lily immediately turned herself to face him with her hands on her hips. "Marcus, you jerk!" She beckoned towards Ai. "Look what you did!"

Ai sniffed. "_Onii-chan,_ Marcus said something mean to me by calling me fat," she pouted.

Marcus' face turned redder as he fought furiously to have whatever was in his mind come properly out of his mouth. "I - I - I...uhhh..."

Hiro began to look closely at Ai's helpless, puppy-looking eyes, and the way she said her words made Hiro crack as he gulped and faced Marcus sternly. "Howard-_san_, you should mind your manners around my siblings and females, they're very sensitive," he told him.

Lily raised an eyebrow at this comment. Marcus immediately shook his head. "I - I'm sorry, Hiro and Hiro's sister, I really am! I didn't mean it!" he cried in guilt. He lowered his head. "Oh, now I feel so bad..."

"Yeah, you should, Marcus," the dark-haired girl butted in, fixing the visor on her hair. "You were making insults to a little kid!"

Hiro quickly raised his hands. "Hey now, guys..."

Marcus simply shook his head. "I know, I know," he responded.

Ai's tears slowly disappeared as she began to beam up at her brother. Akira just rolled his eyes as Eric walked back to them and the Honda, closing his cellular phone. "So, we going in or what?" he asked them as he locked their car. "Tech'll be here soon."

"Who's Tech?" Marcus wondered as he looked up at him. "I dunno what guy would have a name like that."

Lily felt the urge to slap him again and Hiro scratched the back of his head – even _he _knew this. "Ah, tech support," Eric explained to Marcus, whose face immediately fell as he realized his stupidity. The older man grinned at Hiro as he nudged his nephew's arm and walked back to the front of the small place. "I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised when you meet him, eh, Hiro?"

Hiro just sheepishly laughed at his uncle's words. Eric opened up the door and pulled it open for everyone before he closed it behind him. "Alright, here it is," Eric boasted, before he dropped his keys on the counter and turned to them. "Fire up the computers and check up on the statuses of them, make sure there are no viruses or any problems, and make sure any new programs that weren't there before are gone." He pulled out some papers from the front counter drawers and handed everyone one right away. "Here's the original list. When you're done, you can play games. Got it?"

Silence.

An awkward, disturbed feeling settled on the company in the café. Eric's expression changed back to one of enthusiasm as he clapped his hands together. "Yeah, ALRIGHT!" he grinned. "Let's do this and I'll see you all for drinks a bit later!" With that he began to whistle an upbeat tune as he grabbed his keys and walked towards the office.

More silence.

"Did he...did he just say..." Lily started.

Marcus finished her sentence. "Drinks...?"

Hiro shook his head in denial and was thinking of whether he should comment on the strange mood swings his aunt and uncle kept having lately, when Akira blinked and turned to Hiro. "You think he will give us OJ, Hiro?" he asked.

"GAH! No, you're too young for that stuff!" Marcus blabbered, staring wide-eyed at Hiro's younger brother, who looked very confused.

Lily shoved Marcus. "He's talking about the ACTUAL orange juice, Marcus..." she hissed.

Marcus froze again. "Oh. I knew that," he corrected, quickly regaining his composure as he readjusted his glasses.

"What were you thinking about?" Hiro wondered in complete confusion.

"Nothing, nothing," his friend quickly dismissed. "Slang you don't need to know."

Lily groaned as she turned on a computer and sat down in front of it, waiting for it to load. Marcus shrugged as he leaned against one of the desks. "Jeez, why is your uncle making us do this before playtime?" he wanted to know, looking at a really psychedelic-looking mousepad. "I mean all I did in computers in Grade 10 was play games and I still passed!"

Hiro shrugged as he pressed the power button on the computer's tower across from Marcus. "This is part of his work, after all," the black-haired male pointed out. "But you know, Ai and Akira seem to like doing this stuff before playing."

Marcus and Lily turned to look at them on one computer, watching Akira and Ai stare at the desktop in bafflement. "What is this triple X?" Akira wondered. "I don't think this was on the list."

Ai blinked as she placed her hand on the mouse. "Maybe we should click the triple X and see if it looks like any of the thing on the list when it opens," she replied.

Hiro's jaw dropped.

"NO!" Lily screeched.

"YES!" Marcus shouted.

"NOO!" Hiro cried, quickly diving for the computer and snatching the mouse as he shoved the icon into the recycling bin immediately.

Marcus groaned in disappointment. "Aww, why you gotta do that, Super-Hiro?" he whined.

Hiro and Lily looked up at their incredulous friend with fiery glares as they pointed in unison at a very confused-looking Akira and Ai, who looked at her brother with innocent eyes and asked, "What is wrong with triple XXX?"

Hiro, Marcus and Lily all sweatdropped together.

Marcus raised a finger. "Well – "

"Shut up, Marcus."

Marcus turned to look at Lily. "What? I think it's the right age for them to know, don't you think, Hiro?"

Repressed memories suddenly lit off, and Hiro gritted his teeth as he clutched the mouse. _No, I do not want to corrupt them any further!_

His glare began to feel piercing emotionally. Marcus gulped and sat down. "Uh...yeah, I think I'm good..." he quickly added as he turned on his.

It was Lily that noticed the anger in Hiro. Her eyes narrowed as she shifted them over to him. _What was that all about? What happened to you? _she wondered uneasily.

She opened her mouth to ask, when at that moment, the front café door opened, and a man stepped in. "Mr. Johnson? Are you here – ?!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards the front to see Mr. Mackenzie standing there, carrying two cups of coffee in a paper tray, a shoulder bag full of stuff, and a wide-eyed, baffled expression on his face.

Lily and Marcus were the first to talk at the same time as "Mr. Mackenzie?!" and "What the HELL are YOU doing HERE?!" escaped their respective lips.

The older man's face fell right away. "Oh, um...how unexpected," Mr. Mackenzie began hesitantly, clearly not pleased about this at all as he readjusted his normal glasses. "I'm surprised to see you here, Lily and Marcus. It's good to see you?

Hiro's eyes lit up. "Sir!" he called. "How are you?" He stood up and bowed his head a little. "Thank you by the way for driving us home yesterday, I really do appreciate it even though aunt Luna does not act like so."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Marcus exclaimed. His glare fell on Mackenzie. "YOU drove us home?! Why, what was your motive, you sneaky, Machiavellian masochist?! Answer my inquiries!"

All Mackenzie could do was stare directly at his student, dumbfounded, before he sweatdropped. "Do you even know what you just said...?"

Marcus lifted his chin up. "Yes, I did, and clearly it must describe all about you because they're stuff used to describe people like you," he remarked.

Mackenzie set down his coffee tray on the counter as he tried to ignore him. _Ah, Howard-san_,_ you and your antics, _Hiro thought as began to shake his head with a smile. He turned back to his computer. It was good to see that his _sensei _was doing alright, especially after the incidents that happened earlier that morning...

Suddenly, Hiro's eyes widened. He looked at the icon indicating an internet page on the monitor, then looked carefully at the name.

The Wake of Dawn – First Winner.

_Shit, what is this?! _

Hiro felt something in his chest tighten. He opened the file. Familiar footage began to play as he saw Blitzkrieg and the introductions. Placing the cursor on the time bar, he fast-forwarded to the middle, and froze when he saw a far too identifiable, inhuman-like figure. _This was my game..._Hiro realized as his eyes continued to open in shock. This _was _that morning where he had to face his Shadow.

Lily's attention was focused on Marcus and Mr. Mackenzie arguing. She shook her own head and turned around to see Hiro looking on a website of some sort. Something was wrong, though. Hiro's hand was shaking over the mouse as he watches the video before him. _"Dame..." _he uttered, lost in a trance. _"Dame..."_

"Hiro, what are you looking at?" Lily asked right away as she lowered an eyebrow in suspicion.

Mr. Mackenzie's eyes quickly moved like thrown knives toward Hiro's monitor. Hiro quickly closed out. "N - nothing, just checking what type of programs this is," he immediately replied, putting it quickly into the recycling bin.

Ai and Akira looked up from their own computer, looking concerned. Something had made _onii-chan _nervous, but like pretty much everyone else they too did not know what he saw, for one they were about three computers away from him. _"Onii-chan, are you okay?" _Ai asked.

"I'm fine, it was just another bad program." Hiro stood up and moved to the next computer across from his. "Let's see if there's any more."

It was then that Mackenzie walked by Marcus, towards the office. "You shouldn't open those programs, Hiro," he said rather sagely. His gaze settled on Hiro – blue eyes to blue eyes. "Maybe you might see something that will trouble you even more."

Hiro felt his blood turn cold. "That or a virus," his teacher quickly added as he continued walking to the office.

"Hey, I'm not done talking to you!" Marcus called, clenching his fists.

Mr. Mackenzie took off his bag, and placed it near the office door. "With all due respect, I have tasks to attend to, Mr. Howard, and I suppose you all do too under Mr. Johnson's command," he told them all. He folded his arms and looked at Marcus strictly as the office door opened. "You should follow those commands and perhaps learn how to follow authority."

Unbeknown to Mackenzie, Eric stood behind him with an amused smirk, leaning against the doorframe casually. "Wow, Drew, never knew you were this confident in front of your kids," he commented.

Mackenzie blinked and looked behind him sheepishly. "Uh..."

"Oh! Looks like you got coffee for me, thank you," Eric exclaimed as he walked outside towards the counter.

The younger brunette cleared his throat. "Yeah, but I didn't know what you really like, so..."

The manager grabbed one of the cups and shot him a finger gun. "Don't worry, Drew. With a little strong spirit I will like it no matter what!"

"...um...okay, sir..."

"So how's everyone doing with their time on the computer?" Hiro's uncle spoke up. "We all checkin' it first before we all have fun?"

Everyone nodded. "Nice, nice!" he added. He looked at Mackenzie with a smirk. "Oh, by the way, you want your coffee Italian style too? You know, if you feel comfortable getting drunk again in front of your students."

Mackenzie's face began turning red. "Mr. Johnson, please!" he protested amidst Lily and Marcus' extremely bewildered looks towards him.

"Jeez, I thought teachers aren't supposed to drink," Marcus whispered to Lily rather insinuatingly, causing Mr. Mackenzie's face to turn even redder.

"This is his off-time, kiddo, let the man relax," Eric gently chided Marcus. He then snapped his fingers and pointed at him and Lily. "Right, just to check, all of you except obviously the twins are eighteen? 'Kay, are you all down with taste-testing this new tequila I bought?"

Lily felt her mouth drop open as Hiro and Mackenzie each held back a dry, disagreeing statement. "B – but, Mr. Johnson, isn't drinking better for the evenings...?" she began to stammer, in shock of the candidness of this question.

"Uncle..." Hiro began warningly.

But Eric ignored him as he walked to his office to get the bottle from his bag. "Don't worry, Hiro, it doesn't burn as much as the vodka. It's just packed with quite a punch, whoo!"

Lily and Marcus' mouths were now both wide open as they slowly looked at Hiro. "You already drink?" Lily exclaimed. "I mean, even though you're at the right age, it just that you don't look like a person to drink!"

_He's evil! He forced it down my throat! It was like drinking poison that tasted good but felt bad!_ "It's not what you think!" Hiro began, raising his hands right away in innocence. "It was completely out-of-blue! It really is not what you think!"

Andrew scoffed. "Definitely not," Mackenzie agreed, taking a sip of his coffee. "You two shouldn't drink either, I personally think eighteen is a little young..."

"Are you kidding? I wanna feel this punch!" Marcus cheered as he pumped a fist in the air. "No way I'm gonna pass an opportunity like this!"

"What flavour is it anyway?" Lily added thoughtfully as she leaned back on her chair and placed a finger to her lips. "I can handle it as long as it tastes good and I take it easy..."

_Are you serious...? _Hiro thought in amazement as he felt his hopes become dashed, looking from Howard-_san _to Nguyen-_chan _who seemed more than happy to be at legal age for alcohol consumption.

"Oooh, can we try too?" Ai asked from a distance. "Ti-ki-ra!"

"Yeah, a punch sounds cool!" Akira agreed enthusiastically.

Mackenzie quickly swallowed down his java so as not to choke again, Marcus burst out laughing and Lily nearly fell backwards on her chair with a yelp. _"No, Ai and Akira, absolutely not for you two!"_ Hiro barked as he ran his hand through his hair in irritation. _"You're still too young!" _

Ai and Akira looked disappointed, wanting to try this stuff at any cost, so they both looked at each other and nodded, before doing what their _onii-chan _hated the most – dark, wide eyes tearing up like a dog's. Hiro yelped as he gave a loud groan and turned away, covering his eyes. "Double combo! _I must not fall for this again..." _

Marcus was still drowning in chuckles and clearly enjoying himself as he slapped a hand to his computer desk. "Oh, man, that was great," he wheezed.

Hiro looked up from his sheltering hands. "Be quiet, Howard-_san,_ and anyways weren't you excited to use the computer?"

"Yeah, I _was,_ until he came," Marcus muttered back, pointing at Mr. Mackenzie none-too-shyly.

Hiro sweatdropped. "But he works here, Howard-_san_, you can do whatever you want still..." he tried to persuade his friend.

It was then that Mackenzie's eyes widened. "Hiro – " he started, shocked that his secret was now revealed. He did not tell anyone – _especially _students – about this! Only Hiro knew about him working here because of Mr. Johnson, and with _Marcus Howard _of all students and of all people to know this...

Especially now that the blonde was smirking. Andrew didn't like how Marcus smirked. "So..." Marcus drawled. "The big bad, calm and collected Mr. Mackenzie works at an internet café on his spare time?"

Lily and Hiro sweatdropped, both guessing pretty accurate what it was Marcus was trying to do, while the twins looked on confused with these adults talking. _"Onii-chan's friends are strange..." _Akira whispered to his sister.

Ai didn't say anything as she opened a browser and typed in something in the URL to find a game, not wanting anything to do with Hiro's strange friends.

Marcus turned back to the monitor he was on, the smirk still clear on his face as he opened up a browser for himself nonchalantly. "I take it your paycheck isn't all that great since they deduct dollars every time a student fails your classes?" he remarked coolly, enjoying milking this.

Instead of getting out the desired effect, Mr. Mackenzie cocked an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact, if that were to be true, you'd be putting me in the poor house as they say, Marcus," the teacher rebutted dryly, leaning back on the counter.

Marcus eyes widened right away, and he snapped head back to him. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" he bellowed. "You're LUCKY you've got a house to live in by yourself, you FORTY-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN!"

"Watch your tone, Mr. Howard, I find that incredibly RUDE!" Mr. Mackenzie retorted, putting his cup down and glaring face-to-face with him. "I'm under THIRTY, FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

"That's a little hard to believe, young people aren't as sour and cold-hearted as you are."

"Why, YOU..."

Hiro and Lily just looked on with awkward looks and déjà vu, while Ai and Akira seemed to be blocking out the noise just fine as they made "ooohs" and "ahhs" and exclamations of victory at what looked like a fun game. "Has he always been like this, Nguyen-_chan_?" Hiro asked Lily as he continued to watch them bicker.

Lily scoffed and shook her head with a wry smile. "Oh, always. Ever since junior high, Marcus has sort of been that guy to go against everything." She raised a finger. "You should have seen us last year with Mr. Craigsworth, Mr. Mackenzie's mentor teacher when he was student teaching."

The image of the middle-aged, far more strict and sophisticated-looking teacher appeared in Hiro's mind. "How did that go...?" Hiro drawled, expecting an obvious answer.

The girl moved her cursor to a pop-up window, hitting Install. "Well, it brought some excitement, to be honest," Lily admitted as Flash installed. She groaned. "Mr. Craigsworth was really, really boring and droned on and on, then made us do textbook work and a bunch of written projects. We had to watch the most oldest, most ancient documentaries, and it wasn't fun. Hell, he even busted out a _reel projector _one day!" She looked back to the arguing duo. "I dreaded that class, I never knew I could hate history and critical analysis. It was what I was good at, and he honestly ruined it. He was such a hardass to the point where it was suffocating..."

Hiro sweatdropped, glad he never had this teacher ever. He seemed to give off that kind of air. "Glad then that you have Mr. Mackenzie then?" he asked.

Lily shrugged. "He was around Craigsworth sometime during the second half of Grade 11's second semester. He practically tried to emulate Craigsworth, but in the end, we all sort of saw through him and he began to relax and be more himself when he became a first-year without 'teacher-in-training' always being used to refer to him." She looked towards Mackenzie. "Mackenzie really looks and kind of sucks up to Craigsworth. He tries not to screw up in front of the guy just because he's the Dean of Social Studies and knows more than most – I don't know how he can do that! Must be why he's so self-conscious of his job..."

Hiro nodded, remembering how nervous and respectful Mackenzie was in front of the older teacher, as well as why Mackenzie easily got flustered when his teaching career was prodded at or even poked. "I see. So that is why Marcus is acting like this?"

She rolled her eyes. "Nah, like I said, Marcus just has a thing against working and teachers. He's really lazy, but when he works, he really works." She moved to the next computer. "Did he tell you he's in Mechanics?"

"No. What is mechanics, Nguyen-_chan_?"

"Well, it's basically wood and metal construction." She lowered her voice. "Rumours say he's apparently one of the top three students of his class. I've seen only one of his works though – this picture frame he made for his mom, and it is really nice, well-polished and carved and everything. You gotta see it one day, Hiro, it amazes me."

Hiro blinked, and turned back to Marcus. Marcus Howard, the man who kept spazzing out, going after girls, and was extremely lazy? "Looks like he is the best in mechanics if that is the case," he concluded.

He looked back to Lily, and she pursed her lips. "I don't really know what I'm good with..." she began to say. "I guess English and Social, but other than that and some sports..." She rested her chin on the back of her hand, and gave a sigh. "I'm not sure what I want to be when I get out of high school."

Hiro shrugged. "Just follow whatever you're good at," he said, not certain of what proper advice to give her.

Lily looked at him, as though expecting that, and smiled. "I guess, but...I'm not too sure what I am good at that I'll fully enjoy..."

Her expression suddenly changed bitterly, and then under her breath she muttered, "Without people patronizing me for it..."

Hiro noticed the change of mood, and was about to ask what was up until he forgot about Marcus and Mr. Mackenzie argument, which appeared to not be dying down any time soon as he looked back up at them.

"Well, I didn't write it because I didn't feel like I had to," Marcus was telling his superior.

Mackenzie sighed and gestured at the computers. "Well, here is the technology you need for it, why not write it now?" he demanded, most likely referring to that apology that he asked from Marcus a while back.

The boy readjusted his glasses. "I'm pretty sure I can sum it up orally," Marcus retorted curtly. He then slouched forward his shoulders. "Dear Mr. Mackenzie: I accept the fact that I had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in humiliation for whatever it was I did wrong. But I think you're crazy to make me write an essay telling me who I think I am – "

Mackenzie groaned and placed a hand over his face. "Don't be a smart alec, Marcus. I have a headache enough as it is, and the last thing I need you to do is walk away towards a field with your hand raised in the air wearing hobo clothes." He took a seat at the counter and checked the opening times of 'Wired Up'. "Anyway, I must talk with Hiro for a second, so you may do as you wish, I suppose."

Marcus shrugged, feeling a bit accomplished and pleased that Mr. Mackenzie got the reference and let him go, and went over to watch Ai and Akira play. Lily looked at Hiro as he stood up and followed Mackenzie to the counter. The brown-haired man took a sip of his coffee. "So, how are you holding up, Mr. Izumi?"

Hiro gave a nod. "I'm doing fine, Mr. Mackenzie."

"That's good to hear. Are you sure there are no concerns or problems you have had – well, other than nagging curiosity, I assume – after the incident? I hope you have been getting some rest, it is very crucial that your sleep cycle stays the way it is, especially if you're still jet-lagging."

Hiro was about to simply respond with how he was fine, when suddenly he felt a slow, slowly throbbing mild pain at the back of his head. He gritted his teeth in uncertainty – was it a good idea to tell Mackenzie that he was having nightmares about his Shadow? What if it meant that he didn't accept his Shadow yet...or something else? _Do I really want to make him worry, though? _Hiro thought edgily. _What if it's just normal nightmares? I should be fine, but..._

"Well, it is sort of something to think about," Hiro simply responded truthfully.

Mackenzie nodded. "That's understandable," he replied. "It will be on your mind for a good while, I'll tell you that, but if it starts interfering with your health, I will personally make sure that you get enough rest."

Hiro simply nodded as he sweatdropped. He suddenly remembered Kyoko from the whole battle as well. "Oh! How is Nakamura-_chan_ doing?"

"Oh, Kyoko?" Mackenzie pushed his glasses back over his eyes. "Well, I dropped her back off at her apartment. She's doing perfectly fine after the Media – still as stubborn yet stoic as she can be."

"That is good to hear." A thought began to itch in Hiro's mind. It wouldn't hurt to ask. "Sir, when did you find out that Ms. Nakamura had the Persona powers and knew about the secret of The Wake of Dawn?"

"Good question." He took a sip of his coffee before he began his retelling. "Kyoko Nakamura was in Mr. Craigsworth's class in Grade 11. She was there when I came around too as a student teacher under his mentorship." Andrew's gaze narrowed. "Before meeting her, I had dealt with Shadows a couple of years back...along with some other people...a team, you could say. Throughout that period of time, I sort of developed an instinct to recognize the paranormal..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she gave off the sense that I got when I used to fight Shadows..."

"But she never fought her Shadow. But you did sense something different?" Hiro further inquired. "Did you sense she had a Persona or a destiny?"

Mackenzie chuckled softly at how ridiculous that statement sounded, and Hiro couldn't help but looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I just..." his teacher began. He shook his head, took another sip, before his eyes wandered off again. "Actually...she found me."

_**March 8, 2016  
**__**Prince Royale Private High School**_

"_You know about Shadows, don't you, Mr. Andrew Mackenzie?"_

_When he heard that, his blood immediately turned cold. Andrew looked up at the female Asian student staring at him indistinctly with shoulder-length black hair and very dark, narrow brown eyes. Her uniform was dark blue and two gold stripes ran across the trim – a second year, Grade 11, from Mr. Craigsworth's class. Kyoko, he remembered her name was, because this was the student who stood out to him very strangely..._

"_Well, yes, I do," he began hesitantly with a forced chuckle, placing his hand down on his binder. "Shadows are the absence of light because of an obstacle in the way of the path of – "_

"_I'm not talking about scientific Shadows, Mr. Mackenzie." The student's gaze narrowed even more. "Unless we refer to Jung's theory on the shadow aspect. Are you familiar with it?"_

_The pen he held slipped from his fingers. His eyes widened as he felt beads of sweat form on his face. "Jung explains the idea of a Shadow, the negative essence of a person that no person wants to be, but yet, it IS still the person itself," Kyoko continued on. "Unfortunately, since people do not accept it, bad things occur that cause rifts in our world and that world the Shadows exist in. Isn't that right?"_

_Mackenzie hastily stood up, backing away a good distance from her from the desk he sat in. "What do you want from me?" he hissed defensively. "How do you know about these things?! Who are you?"_

_The girl raised her right wrist. She pulled back her sleeve. On it was a watch – a grey clasp-on, black clock with a faint, luminescent crescent moon, no numbers, just four phases of the moon from 3:00 – waning to waxing and then full at midnight – to 12:00. "In here is Jung's other theory about the opposite of the Shadow – the Persona, the identity that people want to be and place in front of their real selves." She looked up at him. "I'm sure you are familiar with it now."_

_Now Mackenzie was trembling as his eyes widened. Flashbacks and bad, repressed memories began to fill his mind. Then...that game show that just began gaining interesting popularity...the controversy of it...the strangeness and that sickening recognizable feelings it emitted every victim taken..._

"_I don't know what happened back then, Mr. Mackenzie, but I need your help. You know Shadows exist on The Wake of Dawn, don't you?" She gestured towards the watch around his left, shaking wrist. "You have a Persona. You've fought with the Shadows. I know these things. Don't ask how, because it is just instinct. But, I cannot go up against them alone especially when they are multiplying."_

_He shook his head furiously. No...no, he didn't want to get involved again. Too much had already happened last time...what if he..._

"_You could die. I could die. But I've already accepted that ever since I learned about it." The girl looked up at him, and her gaze was as cold as ice. "Other people could die too. Would you want other people to die? Mr. Mackenzie, you seem like a caring person with a strong moral sense so – "_

"_Shut up!" Mackenzie snapped. The man clutched his head as his knees buckled. "Will you leave me alone? I swore to my comrades that I would not get involved in that world ever again once I was finished." He looked up at her angrily. "And I am quite finished. I am sure there are other users that you will find in time."_

_Kyoko simply stared at him, before she sighed and shook her head. "Pathetic." She turned her back to him and began to walk away. "When you're done self-pitying yourself and being held back, you can access the Data Room through a computer as long as you have that watch and The Wake of Dawn open." _

_She stopped. "Oh, and quite frankly, I doubt I will find anyone in time when time doesn't like me or my cause," she finished._

_Mr. Mackenzie watched her leave and exit her room, completely taken aback with about a thousand rushing feelings – confusion, anger, depression – and suddenly, he felt at a loss as he remembered her words:_

_Would you want other people to die? _

"_No," he simply uttered._

_**October 1, 2016  
**_"_**Wired Up" Internet Café**_

Mackenzie had set his coffee cup down, and continued to look on vaguely as he recollected his memories. "A day after, I went back to that realm...the Data Room, Wake of Dawn, all of those things in the dimension. I did my duty again, even though I had my doubts." He took a deep breath in. "With great power comes great responsibility, as they say."

Hiro sweatdropped. _That doesn't sound like something that came out of a history or a literature... _he thought as he considered the nature of the quote's origin.

Mackenzie continued on. "It felt sort of good to reuse my Persona, especially when it was fully evolved. Hermes did me well – he made me feel like I could take on the whole world. Making sure order was set as much as possible, protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty...trying to make sure as much as possible that no more people got involved...it was dangerous, but..." He lowered his gaze. "It was quite a feeling, to protect people."

Hiro simply nodded. A whole new insight of his teacher – this man, opened up to him even more. He could feel a bond beginning to form with him...it was something strange, it felt normal but something about it felt mystical as well...he had felt it with Lily, with Marcus, with Ai and Akira, with his uncle, his aunt. He only realized it now how there was something different about these relationships after he received Helios. This sudden appreciation to know Andrew Mackenzie and to get to know him...Mr. Mackenzie was truly inspiring...

The older man suddenly looked back up at Hiro. "That is why I do not want you to get involved any further in this," he ended.

The feeling suddenly shattered, and Hiro's eyes widened. The boy was completely taken aback at what Mr. Mackenzie just said. "Sir, what do you mean, I shouldn't get involved in it?" the dark-haired male echoed.

"Because as a teacher, I'm giving you an order to walk away from what just happened," Mr. Mackenzie responded abruptly, looking very strict again as he sat up. "Move on with your life, your academics, your – "

"Th - that's not a good reason!" Hiro retorted. He looked up at him with gritted teeth – this wasn't fair! "I have a Persona...I can fight! I can protect people too! Let me help!"

Mackenzie shook his head. "You have enough to protect, Hiro. Your Persona will help you fine in real life now that you have accepted your Shadow. Become the person you want to be with its realization bestowed upon you."

"But what about Nakamura-_chan?!"_ Hiro demanded.

"She has nothing left to protect!" Mackenzie barked back. He closed his mouth right after, realizing the implications of that slip, and before Hiro can further ask, he gave a disillusioned sigh. "There are many people that care about you, Hiro. This is dangerous! This has been going on for longer than you can imagine." He readjusted his glasses. "I don't know if you were around that time, but about several years ago, the most recent being five, events similar to these have happened near Japan. Many people suffered from it."

He looked back up. "The same goes for us in 2016! We nearly didn't make it, and you almost got _killed! _How much Luna worried about you...Hiro, what would Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, your friends, those who are close to you, think when eventually your Shadow would take over if you had died and cause destruction, completely change you, even go too far?!" He gestured towards Ai and Akira, sitting and playing video games, enthusiastic grins on their faces. "What would happen to them, I assume your brother and sister, who I'm also assuming are your only blood family members left...?"

Hiro glowered at his teacher, those words stinging him for being selfish of going to a world where you can die, where you could be replaced by the doppelganger known as your Shadow that will not end up becoming like you. At that point, Hiro was about to give in and surrender at Mackenzie's order, until he remembered something...a possibility that gave him ill feelings to even consider it.

"Sir, if I stop right now and followed your suggestion and allow you and Nakamura-_chan_ to battle the game show..." He looked up angrily. "What if the host came after my family and my friends?"

Mackenzie said nothing. It appeared to be a standoff of logic, reason, and at the same time the complete opposite as both glared at each other intensely. Then...

"You can protect the crisis with your Persona should it ever happen, and Kyoko and I will be there," Mackenzie replied as he lit on the neon sign. "But for now, you are not involving yourself, period. This conversation ends now." The brunette nodded to Eric, who was pouring a wide-eyed Lily and Marcus several glasses of tequila. "Go back to your friends, your family...the people who matter the most to you. Watch over them, and they'll watch over you. Do I make myself clear?"

Hiro continued to watch the scene behind him unfold. Ai and Akira had bolted off their computer and were now tugging at their uncle's shirt sleeves, demanding to try whatever he was giving Lily and Marcus. Lily tried to talk some sense into them as did Eric, while Marcus began to laugh as he took a drink, then nearly choked and almost dropped the glass as he pounded his chest with a fist. It was then that Eric burst out laughing as he downed his glass in one gulp, Ai and Akira pouted as they glared up at him, and Lily looked nervous as she picked up her own glass and stared at it momentarily.

He didn't want to lose these people. Ever. "Yes," Hiro simply responded.

He turned his back to Mr. Mackenzie and began to walk back to the group. _But I have not lost the war yet,_ Hiro thought. His feelings passed verbally throughout his mind with each heavy step. _Sorry, sir, but I'm a stubborn person who was raised by a police officer. Guess it runs in the family to save and protect people's lives and put an end to the situation._

* * * * * * * *

**_October 1, 2016  
The Johnson Residence_**

Marcus flopped down on sleeping bag next to Hiro's bed. "Whew! Nice of your aunt to let me crash in your room, Super-Hiro!" he called, taking off his baseball cap.

Lily nodded as she sat near the bed. "Fine with me. You boys can bond just well while I have my privacy."

"Pft, you can trust me. I just had like, what, only three glasses of the tequila?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yeah, as I recall, it was actually four and a half glasses and it came out the attic along with your breakfast shortly after." She noticed Hiro barely paying attention as he stared off at his computer, a browser open and blank. "Hey, Hiro, you alright?"

Hiro did not answer. Lily raised an eyebrow. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, as well as slightly irritated. "Hiro?" she said, a little louder this time.

It didn't phase him. Hiro was still thinking about the world on the other side of the computer, and what Mackenzie had said to him, and –

"Yo!" Marcus exclaimed, standing up and slapping a hand on Hiro's shoulder. "What's up, man?!"

Hiro's head almost hit the computer monitor in shock, but thankfully he held his head from collision on time as he gasped in relief. "Oh, shi - sorry, dude," Marcus added quietly, backing away, then glimpsed Hiro's expression. The blonde's face became more sympathetic. "Hey. You okay? You look like you're in a bad mood..."

Hiro _did_ look like he was in a bad mood. His eyes were narrowed perplexedly and were swimming in confusion and hurt. Lily wasn't used to seeing Hiro like this as she straightened herself up. "Did something happen back there with you and Mackenzie...?" she suggested.

"Oh, man, I knew it!" Marcus growled as he punched the air. "That goddamn bastard! What'd he do, Hiro?! Just gimme the word and I will, like, _egg_ his house or put _tacks_ on his chair! I will gladly, GLADLY do it!"

Lily was about to protest at this when Hiro spoke up. "It's okay, Howard-_san,_ you don't have to do that," he responded rather tiredly.

Marcus paused. "Oh." He shifted his eyes. "But...I want to."

Lily groaned. "How does that help?"

He gave a cheeky grin. "Well, it might be able to help cheer Hiro up, and also it might help cheer me up as well because come on, it sounds like a fun idea," Marcus replied, much to Lily's chagrin.

Hiro gave a small, involuntary smirk - he didn't mean to laugh, but right now, that really did sound comforting. He immediately shook the idea and image from his head; it wasn't the right thing to do and Mr. Mackenzie definitely had his reasons. "You guys should both sleep soon - I just got to finish checking my e-mail and then I'm going to bed," he told them.

"But it's only 11:00," Marcus whined. "There's no fun in early sleepovers!"

Lily yawned as she stood up and stretched. "Well, I dunno about you, but that's good enough for me," she murmured. "I call bathroom first." With that she dashed out.

"H-hey, wait!" Marcus cried, and dashed out from behind her. "Damn it, Lily!"

Hiro watched them go, before he turned back to his browser and logged onto his e-mail. It's been a while – he wondered if he'd get some messages from some old friends or buddies, or the orphanage, or for Ai and Akira since they had many friends too...

At that moment, his attention was grabbed by an e-mail address that he didn't recognize at first, but the subject made him reconsider his thoughts as he blinked.

The message was from an American JackFrost address, the most common extension and most used e-mail service in the world right now. Hiro still used the Japanese JackFrost extension, however, the fact the subject was in Japanese made him question it.

However, he then realized who this "naka-chan" was. _How did she get my e-mail address..._Hiro wondered as he began reading the subject.

かげ.

_Shadows._

Hiro felt himself stiffen. Without a second thought, he immediately clicked on it, and a small amount of katakana, hiragana, and several kanji appeared on his front screen. His eyes widened at the content of the message.

こんにちは_, _ひろ_. Details on how I have your email address will be said later, but that isn't important anyway. What is important is that no matter what Mackenzie says, he is being overprotective and blinded about his ambitions, and I guess he already told you what he thinks on you learning about this._

_If you turn your back on this, people will die and it will be your fault. You have the power and the will to fight back, and you will fight for our cause no matter what._

_Please delete this once you have read it and keep it absolutely confidential. We will talk more about this when school begins again. ~ __中村きょうこ_

Hiro's jaw dropped open.

* * *

_**To Be Continued...**_


	10. Danger Rising

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

_**

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_**Persona X  
**__**Chapter 10: Danger Rising**_

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_**October 1 - 2, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence **_

In a state of complete bewilderment, Hiro began read the letter not once but twice to make sure he read every word and every character correctly. Granted, yes, there were some typos and writing errors, katakana mixed with hiragana when there wasn't supposed to be, spacing when it wasn't necessary, English grammar periods, her kanji use wasn't very good and was based on sound and not meaning, and he didn't like seeing his name written in hiragana, but...the main point of the message seemed to be clear enough...

But was he really reading this right?

Did Kyoko just practically force him to go against Mr. Mackenzie's command?

Hiro just stared at this message as he began to read it a third time over. His absorption in the whole thing was so great that Hiro did not realize Marcus was standing right behind him, looking over his shoulder. "Man, I don't know how you can learn to read that stuff," the taller male marvelled.

Hiro almost jumped out of his seat when Marcus did that, realizing that Marcus had stayed behind in his room. Lily walked back inside. "God, Marcus, you nearly made me trip down the stairs when – " she started, before noticing Hiro's panicked expression. "What's up?"

Hiro just noticed Lily came back to his room, and quickly regaining his normal composure quickly minimized the letter from Kyoko with a keyboard shortcut. Even if none of them could read it, it was better to be safe than sorry. "It's just some stuff," he replied a bit too abruptly as he waved his hand. "Yeah, stuff."

Marcus raised an eyebrow as he smirked. "Oooh, what kind of stuff?" he drawled.

Lily smacked Marcus across the head without any hesitation. "Some private stuff," Hiro responded as he began to shift his eyes.

Marcus rubbed the back of his head as his smirk deepened. "Oh, what kind of private stuff? Is it a love letter from back in Japan or here at school?"

Lily smacked his head again. "OW!" Marcus whined as he clutched both sides of his head. He glared at her. "You know, you're gonna give me brain damage one day, Lily!"

"I think you already had it a long time ago," Lily muttered.

_Wow, harsh, _Hiro thought with a nervous sweatdrop.

Marcus walked back toward the door, muttering, "Crazy woman..." He stopped to look back at her. "Go try and get some sleep, see if it helps your beauty."

The girl shrugged and walked out, deliberately stepping on his toe before she did. "Alright then. Night, Hiro!"

"Umm, night, Nguyen-_chan_..." Hiro said back, blinking in complete disbelief at this situation.

He turned to look at Marcus, who was seething as he jumped on one foot back to the bathroom. "Pain..." the boy could be heard hissing.

As soon as Marcus left the room, Hiro re-opened the letter again, just to re-read it once again carefully, this time with no interruptions. Finally, after the seventh time, Hiro stopped, leaning back in his chair and staring off at the e-mail. It appeared Hiro was reading everything correctly – Kyoko really wanted him involved, against Mr. Mackenzie's will.

But why? Didn't she seem against him getting involved? Maybe he should reply to the message...but then again, Kyoko said to delete it right away when he was done reading...

Hiro made his decision and was about to delete it until another e-mail popped up. His eyes immediately widened at the e-mail alert's title.

_Our First Winner!_

Hiro frowned. It could be one of those stupid ads that have some virus into, but he was still curious. He tried to ignore any paranoia he had as he moved his cursor to the alert and clicked on it.

_Such a pain is it to have someone come out the winner of The Wake of Dawn._

Ignoring his paranoia immediately fell apart as his eyes grew wider. At that moment, he wanted to know exactly who this person was and how they knew he was the winner – better yet, his e-mail. Where were people getting this information? He continued to read, biting his lower lip in apprehension, not liking the sound of this at all.

_You've proven much potential. It's been awhile since I have seen someone like you. We look forward to seeing you again...and I am sure that will be very soon._

The message was not signed, and the e-mail address looked very unfamiliar. Hiro was about to close this nightmare of a message, until his eyes almost bulged out of his sockets as he glimpsed only something he knew...

_P.S. Are you feeling okay? Feeling any headaches, or are all your dreams becoming nightmares that you wish you would never see?_

The message instantly vanished as Hiro quickly hit Delete. He placed a hand on his head, not wanting to remember any of this as his breath became ragged. This wasn't an after-effect then...but what did that mean? _What am I supposed to do now?! _he thought, trying hard to keep himself calm.

At that moment, a hand slipped itself on his shoulder. The black-haired male gasped and turned around, only to see the culprit was none other than Marcus. The other male raised an eyebrow. "Jeez, Super-Hiro, why so paranoid right now?" he asked.

"...n-no reason." Hiro sighed. "Just a bad day..."

Marcus blinked, before his face softened. "Dude...what'd Mackenzie even tell you today?" he murmured, taking off his glasses and putting them back in a maroon case. "You sure you don't want me to bust his car tires?"

Hiro shook his head. "No Marcus," he replied reassuringly. "That will be a bad idea."

Marcus gave a disappointed pout. "Aw, fine." He plopped himself down on the sleeping bag next to Hiro's bed and tucked himself in with a yawn. "Alright, night, Hiro. Don't let the bedbugs bite."

There was a sudden pause.

"There are bugs in your beds?!" Hiro exclaimed, feeling deceived by his knowledge of North America as he glared back at his bed in horror. "Do you clean them properly?!"

"...don't worry about it, man, it's just an expression."

"Oh. Uh...sorry about that."

Hiro gave a sheepish look as he turned back to his monitor, feeling very disheartened. He pushed the Sleep button on his computer and pushed the chair away from him with another sigh. He himself needed sleep, and there was no point in staying up anymore anyway.

He slipped into his bed, staring off at the ceiling, out the window, attempting to lose his thoughts and drown in peace and silence. He gritted his teeth and growled softly. _Come on, _he thought. He buried his head into his pillow. _Sleep. I need to go to sleep...I need to forget about everything until tomorrow..._

He thought it was working. He could feel his mind wander as he finally felt comfortable and drowsy enough to slip off, until he realized that he could hear something, very faintly. He sat up, wondering what was happening now, and looked to Marcus.

Marcus, however, was simply snoring and appeared to be a very heavy sleeper. Hiro shifted his eyes over to look at his clock. It was 11:59 PM. Where was the sound coming from? Maybe he was just going crazy...

He placed his head down and was about to close his eyes again, until he heard a far too familiar voice he never wanted to hear again.

"Jeez, jeez, jeez, there is no showing for today because I'm in an emotional mood and even us hosts gotta take their breaks when they're down and out."

A crowd of people can be heard booing as light suddenly emitted from Hiro's computer. Hiro blinked and sat up right away, staring at his monitor. A browser window blinked on the desktop's toolbar. Hiro raised an eyebrow curiously. When did he turn on his computer again and when did he open up a browser...?

"Sorry, folks, if I'm upset, then there's no show for you," the familiar voice from earlier continued. "That's just how it works."

The sound of the crowd roared angrily. Hiro began to get off his bed and walked toward his monitor, now being able to hear properly as the voice spoke again. "I know that you people wanted to see the pleasure of a person's blood or an instant replay over and over again of it, but it was all ruined when someone won this game."

Hiro's blood turned cold.

He opened up the browser instantly. At that moment, he realized it was the The Wake of Dawn website - and it appeared that there was Blitzkrieg on the video stream, not looking very happy, and neither was the audience as they still bellowed with anger of having their entertainment denied of them.

The camera suddenly panned right as Shadow jumped onstage. "You better give us what we want right now, Blitzkrieg, or else!" it hissed, pointing a hand to the black-haired host who the camera panned back to.

Hiro watched intently, wondering where this was going. Blitzkrieg sighed and shook his head, reaching behind his blazer. "Why, what are you gonna do about it? Eat me?" The masked man scoffed. "Try it, I dare you."

The dark figure's yellowish eyes flashed. "Gladly."

At that moment, the Shadow's form expanded in a burst of flames, and the crowd gave astonished, exclamations as the Shadow shifted into the shape of a lion. Before Blitzkrieg could react, the Shadow gave a fierce, feral roar, and tossed him up, proceeding to swallow him down whole.

The crowd rumbled and erupted with cheers to see blood. This was exactly the show that they wanted!

"Show him whose boss!"

"Tear him apart!"

"Make him pay!"

At that moment, though, there was a gong sound.

The sound of a pool ball being hit became faintly heard, and an 8-ball slowly rolled onstage. Everyone suddenly became silent as they watched it continue to roll and roll, until it stopped at the feet of the lion-like Shadow. The Shadow paused and looked down at it right away.

Suddenly, chuckling could be heard. The Shadow looked around warily, trying to find where the chuckling was coming from, until he realized just as suddenly as Hiro did...

It was coming from inside his throat.

The ball exploded, sending the Shadow flying off his feet, and before the lion-like Shadow could react, three gunshots fired off from the inside of his head. As the Shadow gave a bloodcurdling shriek, Blitzkrieg tore himself out, his revolver in hand as he stepped out curtly, blowing the smoke off the gun and dusting his shoulders off irritably.

When he was finally out and the residue of the Shadow was no longer on him, Blitzkrieg flourished his hand backstage where the ball came from. A faint silhouette of a man could be seen, leaning against a pool stick with one hand and tossing a cue ball lazily with the other. "A thank you to one of our co-hosts and staff members, Shotgun, for help with that little trick," Blitzkrieg remarked with a wry smirk, still looking towards the audience.

The audience was dead silent, and Hiro couldn't help but feel more afraid of this man by the second. Shotgun simply smirked back, pleased, and bowed shortly, revealing a red and black half-face mask as he pulled back into the darkness. Blitzkrieg's smirk disappeared. "Anybody else?!" he snapped.

His glare, although hidden by his mask, caused the Shadows to recoil as they all shook their heads and resonated clear and uttered-sounding nos. "That's what I thought before I was interrupted by that bastard," Blitzkrieg retorted. He turned his head back and pointed his revolver back to the Shadow, who was now clearly deformed, and fired two more shots just to make sure it stayed down. "It's not my fault that your show was cancelled!" he explained as he turned back to the audience. "Blame it all on these people!"

With his free hand, he snapped his fingers and to reveal a hologram of three people onstage. Hiro gasped and nearly fell off his chair. The illusion depicted none other than himself, Mr. Mackenzie, and Kyoko that day they fought.

The crowd immediately began to boo and hiss again, close to rioting as they stood on their seats.

"Take their blood!" Shadows shrieked.

"Mortals like that shouldn't even exist!"

"We want to see them DIE!"

Blitzkrieg raised his hands. "Don't worry, don't worry, you all will have payback at them for the ruining of your show, but as I said again, don't worry. They were only lucky the first time."

The crowd ignored him as they continued to rouse. Blitzkrieg shook his head and turned back to the camera. "That's all that is happening now in our showing of The Wake of Dawn. To the people who are watching, thank you. To the others, especially the three who ruined this show, this is what I will do to you if I see you next time."

Without breaking a beat, Blitzkrieg pointed his revolver towards the camera and shot three rounds, causing the camera to crack, the cameraman to scream and then finally the vision becoming a flurry of feedback. Hiro, who just stared at the feedback, felt ready to break down again as thoughts began racing in his head.

_Just great, just great. Just a few days here in Canada and I'm already on a hitman list to a show that will rip out my guts if they see me again,_ he realized.

He could feel his hand trembling over his mouse. He didn't want to do this anymore. He came here to _escape _the hard life, to start _anew. _This wasn't escaping and this wasn't starting anew! Why was he pulled into this strange world of Shadows and Personas?

Maybe Mr. Mackenzie was right...maybe he should just stay out. On the other hand...Kyoko wanted him to do this. But what if she was wrong? She almost died too. All of them nearly died. Mr. Mackenzie was right...at the same time...he was wrong...why did he feel so conflicted...?

_What am I supposed to do now? _Hiro thought.

He was completely shaken. He placed a hand over his head again, trying to breathe properly and ease an oncoming headache. His heart was pounding furiously in his chest, and a sick feeling knotted his stomach. Hiro gulped. _It might be a good idea to...hit this hay...for sleeping, right about now._

The computer was shut down this time, and Hiro carefully walked back to his bed, trying not wake up Marcus. He did not calculate how it was the worst time for him to be stealthy – if anything, he was extremely clumsy right now. He didn't realize this until he accidentally stepped on what appeared to be Marcus' toe.

Marcus gave a sharp yelp, instantly throwing Hiro off-guard as he gasped, falling back on his bed in terror, panting as he watched Marcus very carefully, hoping he wouldn't wake up.

His wishes were granted as Marcus turned over the other way in his sleep with a groan. "Damn it, Lily, that hurts..." he muttered, and soon he was snoring off again.

Hiro just stared at him incredulously. _How could he even sleep through all this? _he began to wonder. He shook off the idea and laid his head down, letting himself fall into slumber as his eyes began to close.

* * * * * * * *

_**October 2, 2016  
**__**The Velvet Room**_

"Welcome back. I do think you should apologize after your sudden leave of absence from before, I did find it quite disrespectful."

Hiro began to open his eyes. He blinked as he saw the strange, well-dressed man Igor, and the pretty, well-dressed woman Sakura again, sitting in front of him in the velvet-covered cabin from three times before. It was the Velvet Room again, this strange room...

"Yes, even if you are still new to this sort of ordeal, it was very rude of you to disappear just like that," Sakura added for her master, lowering her brown-eyed gaze.

Hiro blinked again, and shrank back in uncertainty and shame. Well, it wasn't his fault he had to get back to helping his teacher and a classmate fight against the evils of the supernatural, was it? He still bowed his head sheepishly. "I'm very sorry," he apologized.

His eyes suddenly widened. He looked down at himself. "Wait, did I just...talk?" Hiro asked, pleasantly surprised.

Sakura and Hiro glanced towards Igor. The pointy-nosed man smiled. "I suppose you'd like an explanation for it." He nodded forward. "Please direct your attention to the table in front of you."

Hiro did so. On the small roller-cart, there was a piece of paper on the table. It appeared to be a form of some sort, and as Hiro skimmed his eyes down, he realized it been signed with his name - in his _exact _handwriting, no less. "Wh...what is this?" Hiro wondered. He stared down at this...contract?_ "_I don't remember signing anything..."

Igor smiled rather crookedly again. "Of course not. But you did sign it, when you accepted your Persona," he explained cryptically.

Igor lifted a hand from his cane and pointed to Hiro's hands. When Hiro looked down at them, he realized that he was holding the Sun Arcana card in his hand. "Wait, what is this now?" Hiro added, growing a little bothered by these magic tricks.

"Your Arcana. With it, you can gain multiple other Personas if you obtain the necessary Arcana for each category."

With that, Igor waved his hand over the table, and the deck of cards from before appeared before them again, their masked backsides highly intriguing. He waved his hand over them again, and seven different tarot cards spread out in front of Hiro, one which he recognized from his fortune telling.

"So far, you have started and began to grow these Arcana - the Lovers, the Justice, the Magician, the Chariot, the Strength, the Moon, and the Star," Igor continued.

He snapped his fingers, and in order of each card said, the tarot images faded to people Hiro knew – Lily, Mr. Mackenzie, Marcus, his aunt Luna, his uncle Eric, Kyoko, and Ai and Akira. "What do you mean I started to grow these Arcana?" Hiro further inquired.

Igor tapped one of the cards; Kyoko's, the Moon Arcana. "When you first met these people, you began to establish relationships with them – Social Links, we call them. As they grow and your relationship continues to bear fruition, so does these Arcanas' abilities to bear new Personas. For example..."

His hand moved back, and tapped Lily's card. Suddenly, a bluish fog emitted from it, and a small fairy appeared above the now-glowing card, much to Hiro's surprise.

The fairy gave a mischievous smile towards Hiro, before she darted over to him and kissed his cheek. She quickly returned back to hovering over the card as Hiro placed his hand over his cheek. "What was that for?" he marvelled, slightly flushing.

"Well, the Pixie is a very playful and trickster-like Persona," Igor explained.

Hiro's eyes widened. He looks back at the Pixie very, very carefully, not believing for a minute that a fairy could be the same thing as the majestic, bizarre, mechanical-like creatures that Helios, Hermes or Selene were.

"I have a question?"

"Go right ahead and ask it, young man."

Hiro continued to look straight at the fairy-like humanoid. "Why does this Pixie not look like my Persona or the others with chains around it?"

The Pixie scowled at him. "N - no offense," Hiro apologized, sweatdropping briefly.

Igor placed his hands back on his cane. "Well, that's a very good question," he replied. He looked back down at the deck of cards, and they glowed dimly. "The chains bind your personal Personas from running rampant, or so we believe. Several of the Arcana have been getting a little...mixed up, tampered with. They're becoming dangerous." He lowered his head. "A disturbance has occurred within the system, and we're not exactly sure why. We believe, however, the cause to be related to one of our most common yet troublesome Arcana..."

Igor lifted his right hand and beckoned to a longer, decorated serving cart next to them. Hiro looked towards it and immediately spotted a strange, floating bluish box that enclosed one of the tarot cards. The card rotated slowly, and Hiro's eyes widened in horror as he saw the symbol of the Fool. "Um...is that bad...?" he asked uncertainly.

It was Sakura that said, "Yes." The red-haired woman pushed her spectacles back up. "Ever since you chose your Persona, the Fool has been acting up in very strange ways, as though it wants to be released to cause destruction."

"But what could make it do th..."

Suddenly, Hiro began to realize what she meant after thinking about his head pains, nightmares, and voices being said in his mind. His eyes further widened, and he clutched the Sun tarot in his hand nervously. As though he read his mind, Igor nodded. "Yes. It appears that you may have made a mistake when accepting your Shadow. As I suppose you've been told already, one must accept their Shadow before it can transform into their Persona." Igor raised a finger. "In your case, however, you had your Persona first before you accepted your Shadow."

Hiro looked back towards the strange man. "So does that mean that my Shadow is not accepting the fact that I said he is me?"

Igor nodded again. Sakura stood up. "We aren't exactly sure why, but until then, we may offer you our assistances in your struggles," she concluded. She beckoned towards the Pixie. "As we have explained before, you may acquire new Personas to help aid you. They will not replace Helios, but if you need their skills, they will be more than happy to serve you."

The pixie nodded and winked at Hiro. "However, they are not free," Sakura added.

Hiro scratched the back of his head. _Shit, good things always came with prices. _"Umm...I have to pay cash?"

Sakura shook her head. "Not with cash, no."

"But, since you're so eager to learn about how everything works and since the Pixie is so attached to you, I'll offer you it as a free gift," Igor butted in as his smile widened.

Hiro blinked. "Um, thank you," he said, uncertain of how he should feel about this.

The Pixie knew how she felt as she grinned happily and darted over to Hiro's other cheek to kiss it. She then disappeared in what looked like dust and particles, and returned back to the Lovers tarot in front of his eyes. All cards seem to have returned to their normal tarot symbol as Hiro grabbed the floating card in front of him.

"Congratulations!" Igor told him. "You have earned yourself a Persona of the Lovers Arcana."

Hiro continued to look at the card. "Is every Persona card something like this?" he asked as he placed his hand down to look towards Igor.

"Essentially that's how it works, yes. The same goes with Helios."

Hiro looked back down at his hands again to see two cards in his hand now – The Pixie, and Helios. He turned them over to see their respective Arcana symbols fade in on the back. "So this shows that this Persona came from this specific Arcana, right?" he asked, noting the Sun and Lovers symbol.

Igor's eyes seemed to light up – it sort of disturbed Hiro and made him feel very uncomfortable, but he assumed it was a good sign when the man said, "That's absolutely correct."

Suddenly, there was a strange flickering sound emitting from the service cart. Igor, Sakura, and Hiro turn to look at the cube containing the Fool, whose lights appeared to be shining unsteadily. Hiro's eyes narrowed. "What is going on with the card...?" he murmured.

Igor shifted his eyes back to Hiro, and their gazes met. "More like the Fool Arcana appears to be growing even more restless." Then Igor lifted his head back up cheerily. "It was good to finally speak with you. You're quite the curious young man."

Hiro watched as the Velvet Room began to fade away, wanting to ask more, wanting to stay. He had more questions to ask. Why were they telling him all this? What will he do about The Wake of Dawn? What if he saw his Shadow again...?

* * * * * * * *

_**October 2, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence**_

"_Hiro-nii-chan? Wake up, please."_

Hiro could hear somebody call out for him. He opened his eyes groggily and saw Ai standing over him, holding her stuffed animal in her arms. She beamed happily at him. _"Finally, you're awake, onii-chan!" _

Hiro blinked. _"Ai..."_ He yawned and sat up. _"What's up?"_

Ai grabbed his arm. "Come on, _onii-chan,_ everyone is downstairs already eating breakfast!" she exclaimed, and pointed to his clock.

Hiro looked towards the clock. The time read 9:45 AM; almost 10 o'clock. Hiro yawned again and stretched his arms when Ai let go, standing up from the bed as he nodded and followed her downstairs. He saw Akira watching cartoons with Marcus, Lily talking with Luna, and Eric busy putting the coffee canister back in the pantry.

Akira was the first to notice Hiro awake. "Good morning, _onii-chan!" _he greeted, before he turned back to the TV. _"Jeez, you've been sleeping in too much. You look like a zombie."_

Luna chuckled, overhearing this, and Ai giggled too. Marcus and Lily looked up to see their friend, his hair looking very dishevelled and his eyes baggy.

"Morning, Hiro."

"Morning, Super-Hiro!"

Hiro gave a nod. "Good morning-u," he simply mumbled as he walked past them, much to their confusion as they exchanged glances.

Eric closed the pantry, before he saw Hiro and blinked, raising an eyebrow. He waved a hand in front of Hiro's face as his nephew walked slowly into the kitchen. "Looks like somebody didn't get enough sleep," he said.

_You don't know the half of it,_ Hiro thought as he trudged towards the pantry door and opened it.

Marcus gave a yawn. "I think I, on the other hand, got too much sleep," he retorted, and rubbed the top of his head. "Gah, I'm not used to sleeping that early..."

_I'm still wondering how you can sleep with what happened at midnight,_ Hiro added as he took a box of cereal from out of the pantry.

Lily leaned back in her chair, pushing away strands of red-highlighted dark hair. "I had a good sleep," she boasted rather happily as Hiro opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. "I feel ready to take on anything today!"

Hiro, now having everything needed for his cereal, mumbled, "you're lucky" under his breath as he placed the carton and the box of cereal next to the toaster and reached for the cupboard.

Lily blinked at him. Eric shook his head. "Oh, don't worry," he told her. "I know what will wake him up properly."

Hiro's hand stopped midway from opening up the cupboard to get a bowl. _What does he mean by that... _

With that, Eric picked up the frying pan from the stove Luna used, and began to heft it up and down, testing its weight. Satisfied, he began to bang it against the toaster near Hiro's ears, much to the boy's surprise as he panicked and began to scream as his hands flew up to his ears. "Uncle, what are you – "

"ARE YOU AWAKE _NOW?" _Eric bellowed, still banging the utensil against the pan.

"Oww, stop!"

Lily, Marcus, Ai and Akira winced and cover their ears too, clearly not used to all this noise in the morning either. "Not until you tell me if you're awake or not!" Eric continued to shout.

Luna immediately took the pan away from her husband and put it in the sink. "Eric, don't damage his ears, jeez!" the black-haired woman scolded.

Eric gave her an astonished look. "Well, it worked when you tried it on me!" the brown-haired man replied as Hiro quickly grabbed what he needed for his cereal and joined Lily at the table.

"That's because your ears were already broken."

Eric looked at her slyly. "They're not broken to the cries of love," he responded smoothly.

Lily dropped her fork down on her plate, Hiro nearly dropped everything he was holding, and Marcus pushed his glasses back on his face as he turned to look at Akira awkwardly. "Are they always this...tender...?" he inquired.

Akira blinked and lowered an eyebrow. "What does that mean?" he asked back.

"...nevermind, let's just keeping watching the ghost boy beat up the ghost rocker chick," Marcus dismissed, and turned around to see something he didn't want to see.

Luna pressed her hands against Eric's chest, looking up at him with sparkling eyes. "Do you really mean that, honey?"

Eric placed his hands on Luna's shoulders. "Oh, yes, I mean that," he murmured softly.

Marcus turned back around with tears in his eyes. "Aw, man, even his non-blood family members score..." he whined.

"Oh, brother," Lily muttered, her chin resting against her lips as she tried not to say anything more.

The twins look confused. "What are they talking about?" Akira wondered as he narrowed his eyes and Ai blinked. Hiro had placed his face on the table out of embarrassment of his aunt and uncle's affection.

Marcus readjusted his glasses and faced Hiro's younger brother. "Has _anyone_ ever talked to you about the birds and the bees?" he bluntly questioned.

Akira and Ai look at him blankly. "Well – " Marcus began.

Before he could say anything more, the blonde was smacked face-first with a cushion from the table seat and knocked off the couch. "Marcus," Lily hissed from a distance. "Do I really have to say shut up?"

"Owww!"

Hiro sweatdropped as he poured milk into his cereal. _I can't even eat a normal breakfast anymore if it's always like this, _he thought.

He looked around the house. His siblings' attention was now glued onto the TV watching cartoons, not caring what happened to Marcus and not curious anymore about the bird and the bees. He could see Marcus on the floor in pain after Lily, who was now standing beside the twins, was the culprit of throwing the cushion towards him. And now looking in front of him he saw his uncle hugging his aunt tightly, making embarrassing and flirty comments to one another. _Is this what's going to happen every morning? _he thought as he took a bite out of his cereal. _Jeez, it's been not even a month and my life of normal just went out the window._

At that moment, the phone rang. Luna immediately shoved Eric aside and picked up the phone. "Hello?" she said. A look of confusion crossed her face. "Oh! Who may I ask is calling?"

A pause. Her confusion seemed to grow as she raised an eyebrow, while Eric pouted and scratched his head in wonder at why she had to push him away. Then, Luna held out the phone to Hiro. "Hiro, it's for you. It's a girl."

Ai and Akira were not listening, but Lily and the now up and recovered Marcus and Eric all heard what Luna just said. Hiro was curious as well as he stood up. Who could be calling him so early this morning, or better yet, who was this girl and how did she even know his phone number? He took the phone from his aunt's hand and placed it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"_Hiro. It's me."_

Realization struck Hiro as his eyes widened.

_Kyoko?_

* * *

_**To Be Continued**_


	11. Making the Right Choice

_**Author Notes:**_

_Xin Fyrrae: __Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates lately. Anyway, I'm sick. Apparently this isn't stopping my parents from taking me on vacation, though, but I'll be back in about three days with more to come for Persona X. Please let us know how we're doing and what you think so we can update much faster too. Thanks!_

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
**__**Chapter 11: Making the Right Choice**_

* * *

_**October 2, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence **_

"Hey, Hiro, you there?"

"...u-uh, yeah..." Hiro stuttered back, completely at a loss. He cleared his throat, making sure the receiver on the other end of this call was indeed the person he had in mind. "Nakamura-_chan?"_

"_Hai."_

Hiro blinked, still quite surprised. _"How did you get my number..."_

"_Phonebook, under Johnsons."_

"_Oh, I see," _Hiro replied, still not sure what to make of this.

Another pause. Then, Kyoko spoke up again. _"Are you busy right now?" _she asked.

"_I was about to eat breakfast, but..."_Hiro began looking around, feeling as though he was being stared down by his friends and aunt. _"I don't think I can eat under these circumstances..."_

"_Understood."_ Then she added, _"That is why you need to meet me at the coffee place near the school, we will talk more about the Shadows there."_

Hiro's eyes flew wide open. "Huh, wait, what?!" he spluttered, reverting back to English as he gripped the phone. "What do you – ?!"

"_Be there before 10:30," _she simply stated.

With that, she hung up. All that was left heard in Hiro's ears was the dial tone as his mouth was left agape. _What just happened right now? _he wondered, blinking in dumbfounded shock.

"Hey, Hiro, who was that?" Marcus was the first to ask, looking up from the couch.

Lily nodded as she leaned against the couch back. "Yeah, was it anyone we knew?" she added. "Or a friend from Japan?"

Hiro placed down the phone as he stretched and walked back to his seat. "Oh, it was some girl I knew from class," he said, grabbing the bowl of cereal and placing it on Ai's place mat. "She just asked me out to the café near the school for now."

Luna nearly dropped the dishes she is washing, Lily's hazel eyes widened, and Marcus gives a loud groan as he belted, "Oh, COME! _ON!"_

Ai and Akira were blocking everyone out and were still glued to watching cartoons. Eric wolf-whistled from the sink as he raised an eyebrow. "Oooh, so who's the lucky gal?" he asked.

Lily blinked. "W - wow. Not even a week in school and he's already got a date?" she marvelled.

"I know! It pisses me off! _ARGH!" _

Hiro was about to argue back as he realized he might have said something wrong, when Luna suddenly turned off the sink and took off her gloves. She began walking up to Hiro. The long-haired woman put a hand on his shoulder with her head down, expression barely visible. It was then that Hiro's defensive instincts began to kick in as he looked up at her warily. _Am I going to be in trouble...? _he thought.

He did not expect what was going to happen next.

Luna lifted her head straight up, her eyes beaming and locking towards Hiro' eyes with a smirk, as though something great just happened. However, the tone of her voice and the next thing she said in original tongue...

"_If you make her cry even one. Tiny. Tear..."_

Hiro began to sweat a little. It was almost like there was a demon possessing her. Eric, however, broke the tension as he held his hand in a thumbs-up. "Well, whaddaya waiting for, Hiro?! Don't keep this mystery woman waiting!" he told him.

"Dude, who is it anyway?" Marcus asked, now leaning against the arms of the couch eagerly. "Is she hot? Do I like her too?"

Lily sat back down at the table. "Please tell me she's at least not a bimbo..." she sighed as she placed her head on her hand.

Hiro was now being bombarded by questions from his friends, his aunt, and uncle, and felt really uncomfortable at this point as he raised his hands. "I-it's not like that!" he protested.

Marcus shook his head and pointed at Hiro. "That is a lie, just like the cake," he simply argued back, further rousing Hiro's confusion.

Lily raised her head up. "Well, why did you say "asked out" then?" she wondered.

It suddenly dawned on Hiro. "Because...she asked me to go outside to go to the café ...?" he began, realizing the implications of his badly worded sentence from before. He groaned. "It's mostly just a acquaintances' meeting, it's not a date!"

At this point Hiro was hoping fervently that they would buy it and leave him alone. "Hiro, not to discriminate but...you know the word acquaintances and yet you realize that 'asking out' is slang for dating...?" Marcus pointed out, causing Hiro to further sink into his chair.

"Finally, you say something that sounds logical," Lily piped up.

Luna just sighed. "Alright, fine," she said. She turned back to her dishes. "Better get ready if she does want to see you for breakfast right now, I heard Rise and Shine's has good stuff until the afternoon."

Hiro looked at his aunt with disbelief. "Um, thanks, aunt. I suppose I have to get ready to go."

With that, Hiro went upstairs to get ready.

It was then that Luna suddenly pulled Eric close to her and began to whisper in his ear. Eric nodded in agreement, and they begin to whisper to each other very discreetly, rousing Lily and Marcus' suspicions right away. "What do you think they're talking about...?" Marcus asked first.

"How should I know?" Lily responded. She rolled her eyes. "Like, maybe one thousand things such as firstly, who this girl is and everything about her?"

"Damn Super-Hiro, why is he able to get girls so easily?" the blonde seethed.

Lily shrugged, not wanting to get involved. "Maybe they're just easy girls," she suggested.

This simply caused Marcus' irritation to increase. "Even I can't get easy girls!"

"That's because you fail."

"I hate you so much for that..."

Lily was about to give another wisecrack-styled rebuttal, when at that point Luna and Eric nodded. The two adults turned towards them, and Lily and Marcus immediately noticed right away how serious their gazes were.

"Lily, Marcus, even though we only knew you from the past two days or so, we know that you became Hiro's first two friends at school and welcomed him in your arms in Canada," Luna began.

The two teenagers froze.

"Oh! Um, thank you, Mrs. Johnson!" Lily replied.

"Yeah, no problem!" Marcus added.

"I don't like the sound of this already," Lily hissed to the side of her mouth.

"You think?" Marcus whispered back.

Eric was the next to speak up as he folded his arms. "We know that Hiro trusts you as friends, so that leads as to believe we will trust you as well."

"So, may we ask of you two a request?" Luna finally asked.

"Uh, sure!"

"Yeah, anything at all for Super-Hiro!"

"What do you want us to do?"

It was a question that Lily didn't need to ask; both realized even before Luna spoke up again exactly how screwed they were. "Well, it's a very small, tiny little favour..." she started as innocently as she could sound, beginning to twiddle her fingers.

"Yeah," Eric said. "Just spy on Hiro and his date and make sure home isn't hit."

Luna's facade was dropped as she glared right away at her husband. "Eric, your language?" she scolded.

"What, they're eighteen!"

Luna was now pinching Eric's ear at this time. Marcus and Lily sweatdropped, are trying to recover from the shock of the statement. "I - I expected that, but..."

Marcus nodded. "Yeah...same here."

"God, these guys need kids..."

They watched as Eric struggled against his wife's grip. "Gah, honey, stop pinching me out of your love!"

"Nice try, bud! You will not get out of this just from sweet talking me!"

Lily turned around to check on Ai and Akira. Both siblings continued to watch whatever was on. _Wow, they are really into their cartoons,_ the dark-haired girl noted in amazement. _I don't know how I could block any of this out..._

Hiro chose to come downstairs at that moment, wearing white cargo pants and a black shirt with a gold crown in the middle. He looked at his uncle and aunt, then at Lily and Marcus. "Uh...did I miss anything?" he inquired hesitantly, not liking how this looked.

Everybody froze.

Hiro placed a hand at the back of his neck. "Oh, wait! I forgot my headphones." He immediately ran back upstairs.

Luna released Eric's ears and sniffed, closing her eyes as she placed a hand near her lips. "That boy is wearing some nice clothes he never wore before. This proves it's a date!" she protested.

Lily and Marcus looked at each other, wanting to comment on how casual Hiro's outfit looked, when Luna butted in. "Now then, if you succeed, we will treat you any time you need our treatment and care." She opened her eyes. "Do we have a deal?"

"I don't know..." Marcus replied, looking really uncertain about doing this, as did Lily.

It didn't stop Eric from adding to it. "If you do succeed I will add a day or two free pass to the computer café, unlimited use," he butted in.

Lily and Marcus exchanged looks again.

"Free internet?"

"Free Frosting and messaging."

"Free alcohol."

Lily's eyes narrowed and Marcus shrugged. "Wait, what is this I hear about free alcohol?" Luna echoed, her eyes narrowing.

Eric quickly waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing, nothing, I don't want you kids drinking so much," he quickly included.

Luna glanced towards Eric with her narrow-eyed look. "How do you know they even drink?" she accused.

"What, they're eighteen!"

"I will not allow it for they are still in high school!"

Eric quickly dodged her arm as it swiped towards his ear. "Anyway, you guys in?" he asked.

Lily appeared hesitant as she looked away, contemplating hard and very against this idea. Marcus, on the other hand, seemed to have changed his mind. "It's a deal," the blonde immediately agreed.

Eric and Luna grinned as they high-fived each other, before their hands grasped each other's and they stared off into each other's eyes lovingly, much to Marcus' and especially Lily's disdain. "One day, Marcus, we gotta talk about co-agreements..." she hissed.

At that moment Hiro came back downstairs, his headset now around his neck. He stopped when he saw his aunt and uncle again, as well as Lily and Marcus. _This has to stop happening..._ Hiro noted as he sweatdropped.

"Oh, Hiro, do you need a ride there?" Eric asked, breaking off from his love-stricken trance. "I can drop you off." He wrapped his arms around Lily and Marcus' shoulders. "Me and your pals here are heading to the café just to grab some stuff I forgot, and we could drop you off."

"Um, it's okay uncle, I don't need a ride." He wasn't fully sure if he wanted Kyoko to run into his uncle of all people right now. "But do you think I can borrow some money? Just for this time only, please."

"Oh, of course!" Luna gasped. "Don't ever make the woman pay on a date, it's just common courtesy." She grabbed her bag from a chair and began to rustle through it.

Her nephew sweatdropped again. "I told you, this is not a date..." Hiro argued.

"Yes, but you NEVER make the woman pay."

"Um, okay..."

"Yes, did you forget you need to be a gentleman, Hiro?" Eric reminded him.

Hiro flinched. "Well, I already know that I have to pay," he tried to explain. He scratched the back of his head. "I'm just a bit bothered by how much you are pressurizing me right now, to be honest..."

"Oh, it's just checking up on you, Hiro," Luna persisted as shoved the money into Hiro's hands.

Hiro nodded. "Okay."

"Hiro, why is it always you...?"

Hiro blinked and looked up at a sulking Marcus, confused. Lily just scoffed and smirked as she patted Marcus' head. "Just enjoy your date, Hiro."

He groaned. "For the last time, it's not a date," Hiro told them as he walked towards the door and opened it.

Marcus sniffed. "That's what you think..."

Hiro just shook his head and walked out. Eric and Luna immediately turned to Lily and Marcus. "Alright, we'll follow him closely behind in about five minutes," Eric explained.

"I don't like the idea of this," Lily sighed.

"But Lily, think of the free stuff we're gonna get," Marcus argued.

The dark-haired girl was about to argue again until Eric said, "Don't think of it as a bad idea –think of it as a helping hand for Hiro."

Lily was silent as she sweatdropped. "Think of it as repaying us for letting you stay here, even though we're doing it out of care," Luna quickly added.

Lily's sweatdrop deepened even more. She was about to say something until she was suddenly pushed toward the stairs by Luna and Marcus pushed by Eric. "Now get changed and then get going, and remember, be discreet," Hiro's aunt instructed.

"Yeah, like ninjas," Hiro's uncle included.

"Oh, I give up," Lily groused.

Marcus gave her a thumbs-up. "That's the spirit, Lily! Just follow the call of duty and everything will be a-okay."

"Marcus, just shut up."

* * * * * * * *

_**October 2, 2016  
**__**Rise and Shine Diner**_

Hiro stood outside of the café, observing the place. There was a coffee cup as half a circle; the other half appearing to be a sun with rays. This logo was in the center of sans-font letters reading _Rise and Shine _very clearly at the bottom. Hiro could see clearly through the windows and noted how people were already inside, lining up for their breakfast for the early morning.

He pulled open the door and walked inside, now observing its interior. It looked very modern and comfortable, with soft seats and nice chairs. There was a widescreen TV on one of the walls.

Hiro began looking around, trying to find Kyoko, but too many people were blocking his view. He craned his head over the line, wondering if she was already getting something.

"You need to learn how to look behind you."

Hiro blinked and turns around to see Kyoko sitting down in a cushioned wall seat. She looked casual, wearing a grey sweater and a plaid purple and black skirt, as well as dull stockings and the same boots from the day she fought the Shadows. The same watch from the fight that held her Persona was around her wrist. Blue-tinted sunglasses similar to her mask were set over her eyes.

"Um, pardon me, Nakamura-_chan,_ but what's with the glasses?" Hiro inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Kyoko looked right at him. "You're late."

Hiro sweatdropped. "Sorry, I got held up..."

The dark-haired girl looked away and pulled out her wallet immediately as Hiro took a seat opposite to her. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Huh?" Hiro quickly remembered what his aunt said. "It's okay, I have money to pay."

Kyoko glanced back up at him. "I invited you, so I should be the one to pay," she told him as she stood up.

"No, it's a gentleman-like manner that I should be the one to pay," Hiro insisted, pulling out his own.

Kyoko shrugged as she sat back down. "Suit yourself, if that is what you think." Without a break, she added, "I'll have a hot chocolate and a blueberry breakfast turnover, please."

Hiro stood up, looking at the signs hanging from the ceiling. "Okay, I guess I will get the Rise-Up Special," he murmured.

"Better get in line now, then, that's what everyone wants," Kyoko said.

Hiro looked back up to see that what she said was true. Most people wanted that special, probably meaning it was their best choice for breakfast.

As Hiro quickly lined up and Kyoko pulled out a cellphone from her skirt pocket, two people reading a newspaper from across them each lowered their reading material carefully. As Kyoko looked up, so did the newspapers. Caring less of what was happening, she looked back at her cellphone.

Now the two people behind the newspaper were both dressed in suits and each had a beard and moustache, sunglasses, and very noticeable hairstyles – one an afro and the other a spiked Mohawk. "We look like idiots," the afro-sprouting person whispered from the side to her partner.

"Shut up and buy breakfast already, I'm starving!" the spiky-haired person retorted.

"What?! We just ATE, and besides, didn't you hear Mrs. Johnson? She said the girls never pay."

"Well, Mrs. Johnson supported her husband putting us into these ridiculous outfits. I don't even know why they have these, so you know what? I don't care, I want comfort food right now."

A groan emitted from the bearded, afro-wearing person. "How the hell did they convince us to wear these ridiculous outfits..." the person muttered.

The spiky-head raised an eyebrow. "Jeez, don't you remember what it was like?"

_**October 2, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence **_

"_Hold on, you can't go out like that!"_

_Lily and Marcus looked up surprised at Luna. They looked fine, dressed in casual clothing with some key differences from their normal style – Lily was wearing her hair in pigtails, and Marcus wasn't wearing his baseball cap. "Why not, is my hair messy?" Marcus asked, looking up at the blonde bangs framing his eyes._

_Eric shook his head with a tsk tsk. "No way, what she means is that you guys aren't convincing as strangers." He smirked deviously. "We need something more...incognito..."_

_Lily and Marcus sweatdropped immediately as Eric and Luna chuckled malevolently._

_**October 2, 2016  
**__**Rise and Shine Diner**_

"I don't see how that explains why we did this..." Lily murmured with a frown.

Marcus shrugged as he played with one of his spikes "Whatever, at least I don't have to wear the 'fro."

"Shut up."

"Shh, he's coming back."

Marcus and Lily raised their newspapers back over their faces as Hiro came back to the table with his plate of bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes and an English muffin, and Kyoko's glazed, flaky blueberry turnover and hot chocolate. "It's a long line, but they get the food out fast," he said as he sat down and opened up the maple syrup package, pouring it on the pancakes. "Ahh, this looks delicious!"

Marcus' stomach growled, much to Lily's amusement as she snickered. "Crap, I'm starving like hell!" he hissed, nudging Lily with his elbow. "Come on, Lily, why haven't you gone up to pay for the food yet?!"

Lily ignored him as she focused on her target, watching as Hiro picked up his fork and dug into his pancakes, stuffing the food immediately into his mouth. He stopped chewing when he noticed Kyoko watching him. "Oh, right." He took his fork and put it in-between his hands as he bowed his head slightly. _"Itadakimasu?"_

Kyoko just picked up her own fork and cut off a piece of her turnover. "I wasn't waiting for that," she said.

Hiro swallowed. "Oh. Uh...whoops hee?"

Kyoko said nothing as she took a bite out of her turnover. Hiro returned back to his own food. They continued to eat in awkward silence.

Lily and Marcus continue to watch intently, a little bothered by this, but more so Marcus as he nudged Lily again. "Lily, c'mon, I'm getting hungrier after watching them eat!"

Lily about to argue back that he should do it on his own, but her stomach began to grumble. Clearly, it was a sign to give up arguing with Marcus. _Damn it, stomach, you betrayed me, _she thought as she stood up curtly, making sure her afro was still on. "Give me the money for what you want, and keep an eye on Hiro and Kyoko while I get the damn food and look even more stupid."

Marcus took out wallet while watching Hiro and Kyoko. "Man, Kyoko of all the girls...how did he manage..." He began to pout. "It must be because they're both from the same place..."

"That is very stereotypical to say, Marcus," Lily scolded, taking the money from Marcus as soon as he pulled it out.

The spike-wigged boy rolled his eyes. "Well, some people do go for people based on culture. I'm just saying, I don't see how they could have hooked up." He looked back at them. "I mean, why didn't she go to me?"

Lily looked at Marcus with a pitying look before she went to line up.

Hiro continued to watch Kyoko eat in silence. He couldn't help but feel very bothered right now. Why did she call him to go here if they weren't even going to talk? He decided then to break the ice as he spoke up. "This is very good, I can see why this is the special."

Kyoko seem to ignore him as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. Hiro sweatdropped. "So, how's your turnover?" he continued.

She set down her cup. "It's very good."

Hiro nodded, trying to prod on the conversation. "Are their turnovers usually good?"

Kyoko didn't reply. Hiro assumed she was ignoring him again and opened his mouth to speak, when she then replied, "I don't really know."

The Japanese male blinked. Kyoko shrugged and cut another bit off from the turnover, moving the fork to her mouth. "I only like blueberry."

Hiro blinked. "I see, I see," he responded.

_Note to self: Kyoko likes blueberries, _Marcus noted carefully as he contemplated taking out his glasses to see more clearly, get a feel as to see shifts in Kyoko's ever-so-vague expression.

Hiro finally decided to cut the awkwardness. He set his fork down and took a deep breath in. "So why did you ask me out here if you wanted to talk to me when school began?" he asked.

Kyoko didn't even pause this time. "I'm here to discuss the matters of the Shadows and your decision on them," she responded.

Hiro gulped; how blunt and straightforward. He did ask for it. "I'm not really sure what I want to do about this, though..." he replied honestly.

Kyoko took another bite of turnover and swallowed. "Well, you need to decide soon, preferably now. This is a very serious matter."

She reached for the last bit of turnover, but stopped. She looked up at Hiro. "In truth, though, you can say no all you want, but you're just denying reality," she said.

Hiro finished off another piece of bacon, choosing his next words carefully as he chewed. "You mean to tell this is really not a 'yes' or 'no' decision," he accused.

"No, it's not," Kyoko agreed. "It's more of something you have to do."

Hiro swallowed. "I don't think that's fair."

"Yeah, well, life isn't fair, especially in these times." Kyoko looked as though she had rolled her eyes. "And personally, I don't think you thought Mr. Mackenzie was being fair anyway, so..."

Hiro froze. Marcus squinted forward at the edge of his sea, trying to crane his ears and wishing now that he could wear his glasses. What the hell were they talking about?

"Marcus, can you hear what they're discussing?"

Marcus looked to his left to see Lily with their food ready. "Thanks," he said as he took the Rise-Up Special she held out, then stared at the salad and ham-and-cheese half bagel on her plate. "Who has salad in the morning? Maybe you are more girlier than I thought."

Lily smacked his hand with her fork. "That's not relevant right now," she growled as she sat back down.

"Crap, Lily, that hurt!"

Lily glared at right through her shades.

"...I'll shut up and eat my breakfast now."

Lily shook her head as her eyes set back towards Hiro and Kyoko, watching them continue to talk. She suddenly realized that there seemed to be a sense of urgency and conflict going on. Hiro looked a little thrown off and Kyoko looked serious...

_What was happening?_

"Like I said, the decision is all yours to decide, but really, 'no' is not a way out of this," Kyoko finished.

"How is it not?" Hiro placed down his fork. "Nakamura_-chan_...like you said, this is serious. And Mackenzie-sensei does not want me to get involved into a accident like that again." He looked away uncertainly. "Part of me thinks he is right..."

"...and that's your excuse?" Kyoko looked away from him. "Pathetic."

Hiro's head turned sharply back to her. "What is that suppose to mean?" he demanded, becoming miffed.

"It is exactly what it means," she retorted. "You rose up to fight your Shadow with a Persona even though you had little to no idea about what the hell you were doing, and you almost killed yourself." Her head turned more opposite from his face. "You're an idiot."

Hiro took a sharp breath in, hurt and a little upset. He was about to argue back when Kyoko continued lecturing him. "That other part of you says _I'm_ right," she affirmed. Why else would you come here to meet me and then bring up what I said, continue it throughout this talk? That means you're willing to do this, even though right now you're saying no."

Then, she looked back at him and lowers her sunglasses, dark eyes staring intensely into blue ones. "With training and experience, maybe you won't die or end up getting injured as fast as you did before, because as long as you have a Persona, you can stop Shadows." Her hand slipped over her watch. "And that is all I'm concerned about."

Hiro's own fingers lingered to his watch. He shuddered briefly, feeling the presence within it. The male gritted his teeth, absorbing all that information that Kyoko had just told him into his mind. _I'm so confused right now... _he thought. _What am I supposed to do now that I'm stuck in the middle of this decision?_

Kyoko continued to gaze at him. Finally, she pushed her glasses back up and sipped her hot chocolate, clearly still waiting. She picked up the last bit of her turnover with her fork when at that moment, Hiro spoke up.

"You know what? I think I made my decision."

Kyoko looked up and blinked, turnover inches away from her mouth. Hiro was looking at her, his expression serious. "I know this decision is one that Mr. Mackenzie will refuse me to do, but you are right, Nakamura-_chan_. It is my own decision of what to do, so...I decided that I will try my best to help, not really for your wishes, but for my own."

Satisfied with this answer, Kyoko gave a nod. She finished stuffing the remaining blueberry turnover in her mouth. She swallowed. "Now you have to commit to your choice."

"Yeah, I have." Hiro gave a sigh and picked up the last bit of biscuit he had in his Rise-Up Special breakfast, when at that moment, he froze.

Why did it feel like something was out of place...?

He turned around, only to see two well-dressed men in an afro and a Mohawk, reading newspapers and eating their breakfast. He blinked. _Well, I guess that _is _sort of out of place, _he assumed before shrugged and turned back around to finish the biscuit.

Lily contemplated on what she had just heard. Was Hiro being obliged to do something? Maybe they were talking about homework. Maybe they were already having a fight. But what was all this talk about...fighting? Dying?

Wait...what if Kyoko was...no, it couldn't be...but what if she was part of a _gang?_

The thought frightened her as she nearly choked on a crouton. _Oh no, what if Hiro is in the wrong crowd?!_ she thought urgently.

She immediately turned to Marcus, wanting to hear his view of the situation. Sadly, only thing he looked to be focusing on was finishing his breakfast. "Marcus, were you just listening to a word they said?" she snapped.

Marcus looked up and swallowed down his scrambled eggs. "Uh...they were talking about a video game."

Lily hit Marcus' head. Marcus readjusted his spikes as he seethed. "Oh, come on, it sounds like a game I played before! Something about being the Pierced Kid as a protagonist." He sighed. "I never managed to get my hands on it, though..."

"Marcus, it sounds more like a mafia!" Lily hissed, looking nervous now. "Or something like that, I don't know!"

Marcus' fork hit his plate as he whipped his head to look back at Hiro and Lily. "Oh my God, I knew Kyoko could be some type of Yakuza chick!" he gasped, astonished.

It suddenly occurred to her how stupid her idea sounded as Lily swiped her hand at his head again, only to have Marcus quickly shift out of the way. "I can easily predict your every – " he sneered, but before he could finish the sentence, he realized exactly how close to the edge of his seat he was near.

There was a crash and a loud yelp. Hiro and Kyoko immediately turned around to see him sprawled on the ground, looking very dizzy as Lily looks down nervously. _Oh, boy, these people are certainly attention-drawing... _Hiro thought.

Kyoko said nothing as she just glanced at them while finishing her hot chocolate. _Damn it, Marcus, he's going to blow our cover..._ Lily thought as she buried her face in her hand, Marcus still shaken up and looking dazed.

Hiro shook his head as he turned back to Kyoko and stood up. "I need to go to the bathroom for a moment, excuse me."

With that he walked towards the washroom. As Lily helped Marcus up on his feet, Kyoko placed down her cup. "What do you two want?" she demanded.

Lily and Marcus froze. "What are you talking about?" Lily replied, deepening her voice as best as she could manage.

Kyoko's head lowered. "You can easily fool Hiro, but you can't fool me."

The two disguised teenagers exchanged looks. "What on earth is she talking about?" Lily asked Marcus nonchalantly.

Marcus blinked and quickly deepened his own voice as he stood up straight. "Oh, yes, yes indeed," he agreed, attempting to look civil and making himself sound like a man who didn't know the difference between a British and Australian accent. "If you please, miss, we would like to return to finishing our breakfast."

Unknown to him, Marcus failed to notice that his wig was now sliding off. Lily gasped and put a hand to his head, pushing it back up. "Yeah, don't you know when to mind your own business against...'The Code'?" she growled.

Kyoko just stares at them unimpressed, as did Marcus who shifted his eyes towards her. "'The Code'...?"

"Yes, yes, The Code," Lily re-affirmed, trying hard not to have her hand hit his head again.

"Well..." He poked her afro as he sits back down. "Your call, you're the Manager anyway, that's why you deserve the 'fro."

Lily blinked. She looked at him quizzically. "The wha?"

Kyoko just rolled her eyes. "I'm not wasting my time on this. Finish up and then please leave, otherwise..."

Suddenly, she began to walk to towards the bathroom. Lily and Marcus were silent as they watched her, when it suddenly dawned on them. "No..." Lily started. "No way. She's not - ?!"

"The...there's no chance, man!" Marcus added, lowering his shades to get a better look at this. "She...she isn't that brave!"

Kyoko's hand rested against the door of the men's washroom. Lily and Marcus' eyes fly wide open. They bolted up from their seats as she pushed it open...

Only to have Hiro bump into her, looking a little surprised. "Oh, Nakamura-_chan!"_ he exclaimed. He pointed to the left. "Uh, the girls' washroom is next to this one."

"I knew that," Kyoko replied.

Hiro blinked, a little confused, as were Lily and Marcus who sat back down in slight relief. "We should leave if we're done."

"Oh. How come?"

Kyoko said nothing as she turned around to walk back to the table to clean up. Lily and Marcus looked uncomfortable now while Hiro was wondering why they had to leave so soon. He was about to ask again when suddenly his ears picked up something from the TV.

"And in entertainment today, Japanese idol Rise Kujikawa a.k.a. the lovely Risette has managed to top the international charts with her newest hit, 'Identity Crisis'!"

Hiro's eyes widened. He spun around to face the TV on the wall, looking at the music video clip of a woman with auburn-brown hair, who spun around and flipped off a pair of sunglasses to replace them with more ridiculous-looking ones. _Wow, didn't even know that she began to sing again after rumours of her quitting showbiz,_ he marvelled.

Kyoko said nothing as she stared up at the screen, as did Lily whose eyes widened as well. "Oh, awesome!" she gasped, a wide smile crossing her face. "I can't believe she's finally managed to make an impact internationally, I'm so surprised!"

Marcus looked towards Lily, chewing on the last bit of his pancakes. "Who is this again?"

Lily scoffed. "A Japanese singer and performer, you wouldn't know her."

Marcus looked back at the TV. "Well, I'd like to, I mean even Kyoko seems interested," he said as he swallowed. He pointed his fork to the screen. "And plus, she's hot."

"Only you can think about looks than about knowing the person themselves."

Marcus lowered his sunglasses to look at her contemptuously. "Don't make me look like the villain here."

Lily rolled her eyes and finished the last bit of her bagel.

The shot switched back to the entertainment announcer. "As to show thanks to all her fans, Risette has announced a tour around the world," he grinned. "Her first stop will be in Canada, in the lovely city of Vancouver for October 15th and then Calgary on October 30th, so get your tickets before they're all sold out!"

Lily suddenly jumped up from her seat in shock, her jaw wide open and her eyes becoming starry as she saw herself sitting down in that crowd of people to see one of her favourite artists. "Oh my God, Marcus, I have to see Risette," she uttered.

"I want to see her too!" Marcus grinned. "Where do we get these tickets?"

Hiro was also in a state of pleasant surprise. Truth be told, a few years back, a lot of the guys in his class loved her, and quite frankly, so he did. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head as he looked at Kyoko. "Wow, I bet everybody will be wanting those tickets if she has become famous overseas," he said. "What do you think?"

Kyoko continued to stare at the brown-haired idol, waving at the camera and smiling at the people around her. Then, Kyoko opened her mouth and said, "We have to get tickets."

Hiro was rather shocked with this answer.

"We have to see her, one way or another," Kyoko continued.

Hiro shook his head and slapped his face with the palms of his hands to make sure what he heard was correct. "You are serious about this?" he asked, looking at her incredulously.

Kyoko just turned away from the TV and prepared to walk out the doors. "Do I have to answer that? Let's go, we've stayed long enough."

"Okay, okay."

As Kyoko and Hiro walked out of the diner, Lily and Marcus turned their attention away from the TV to watch them go. "She's really acting kind of...bitchy...?" Lily remarked, biting her lip afterwards and wondering if she had picked the right word to use.

Marcus just shrugged as he took of his sunglasses. "Hey, all I know is this – we'll see her at the concert if we can nab seats, and I'm fine with that," he said positively, placing his blue-rimmed normal glasses over his eyes.

Lily glared at him. "This is weird. Why is she whipping Hiro around?" she wanted to know.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "You know, I thought you were the expert in whipping," he responded coolly.

Lily urged herself not to hit Marcus again in the head for that statement. "And maybe they are in a whipped relationship," he continued on. "I mean, Hiro will do anything whatever Lily tells him to do."

Lily lowered her gaze. "What do you mean by that?"

"Meaning Hiro is like a puppy to girls. He follows his master's orders and they love him for it."

"...Marcus, I'm not gonna even bother." She stood up and took off the afro wig and the beard. "Gah, these things itch. I think we can just go back to the Johnsons and report what we saw now, I'm tired of this."

"Oh, come on, we're already out of the house and we've just breakfast!" Marcus whined as he took off his moustache. "And it's the weekend!"

Lily groaned as she raised her shades. "Fine, let's go to the mall."

* * *

_**To Be Continued**_


	12. Odd Preparations

_**Author Notes:**_

_KingHiro:__ Yeah, sorry we were kinda busy with our studies, so you might expect slow updates.  
__Xin Fyrrae:__ *sounds of paper being ripped and things being smashed* #$%ING CHEMISTRRYYYYYYYYYYY  
__KingHiro:__ Excuse my friend for that  
__Xin Fyrrae:__ *sobs in rage in a corner*  
__KingHiro:__ its okay*pats on head* its okay, so anyways on with the story_

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
**__**Chapter 12: Odd Preparations**_

* * *

_**October 2, 2016  
**__**Rune Royale Mall**_

After leaving the café and walking awhile, Hiro and Kyoko arrived at the entrance of what looked like the Rune Royale. As Hiro and Kyoko looked up at the building, Hiro couldn't help but feel extremely uncomfortable.

_That_ _was the most awkward silence that I've dealt with,_ he thought rather grimly. _No talking at all from walking...I think half an hour. Jeez, Nakamura-chan is really not the talkative type. _

He turned towards Kyoko, who still was silent as she continues to walk forward. Hiro decided to break the silence as he coughed and scratched the back of his head. "So, what are we doing here anyway?" he asked.

Kyoko stopped. "I don't know."

Hiro sweatdropped. "What do you mean, you don't know..."

"Let's just go in, Hiro."

She walked off, leaving Hiro not able to finish his sentence. Remembering his manners, Hiro quickly dashed to the door and opened it for her.

Instead, Kyoko opened the other door next to Hiro's and walked inside.

Two junior high girls chatting to each other walked into the held-open door. "Thanks!" they chirped.

Hiro's sweatdrop deepened. "No problem..."

He walked in to see the mall itself, although it didn't look as familiar as before. He took this time to observe his surroundings and realized that this was a different entrance. He realized soon after that he had been standing too long idly looking at his surroundings and that Kyoko was waiting for him from a distance.

Hiro quickly shook his head and ran after her as she began to walk again. "So what do you want to do while we are here?" he questioned.

Kyoko kept walking, not replying. Hiro sighed and continued to follow her, giving up for the time being. He began to observe the mall again more clearly, noting stores that he might want to look at later, as well as wondering where that arcade that Marcus' spoke of last week was.

Hiro turned back to his side, only to notice that Kyoko was no longer standing next to him. He blinked. "H - huh?! Nakamura-_chan_?" he exclaimed.

Stunned, he began looking in every direction, having a hard time doing so as more people began crowding the mall. _Jeez...where is she..._ he thought grimly, walking around and hoping that he would be able to find that girl in the next few seconds.

He stopped. Hiro turned to his left to see a girl's clothes store. It was then that he saw a figure that looked like Kyoko. This provoked Hiro to raise an eyebrow. _It...can't be... _

He walked forward to the store and stopped right outside the entrance, looking up at the sign and how...pink and...sparkly...it was. _No._ There was _no way_ Kyoko would be in there. She didn't seem like that type of person. However, remembering how things were not as they seemed, he contemplated very hard if he would go in there to check or not...

"I think this will work for you, miss."

"That won't work for her at all! I think this one will be much better!"

Hiro bit his lower lip. He shook his head, taking one step forward into the store, watching two store clerks bicker and argue near the figure that looked like Kyoko. _What is happening over there..._

With great resolve, Hiro walked deeper inside this store to where the argument was taking place.

Amazingly and rewardingly, Kyoko was standing near the two bickering store clerks, not looking very fazed as she glanced back and forth at each clerk. "Oh, Kyoko, there you are!" Hiro sighed, taking a step forward, only to be blocked off by the first clerk.

"I'm telling you, this would look better on her! She needs to be brightened up with some more reds!" the clerk hissed, holding a rather bright red and pink shirt.

The shorter-haired second clerk from across her shook her head with a scoff. "You've got it all wrong, blue is better!" she shot back, holding a simple royal blue sleeveless top.

Hiro, now standing beside Kyoko, sweatdropped. "Umm...what's going on...?" he whispered, shifting his eyes to his side.

Kyoko shrugged. The two clerks looked towards Hiro. "Okay!" the first, longer-haired clerk snapped. She pulled Kyoko's arms straight outwards to her side and held up the pink top in front of her chest. "Do you think this would work on her?"

Before Hiro could even blink, the second, shorter-haired pushed the other clerk aside and held up the blue top. "Or this?"

Hiro sweatdrop dripped deeper as he took a step back. "Uh..."

Both clerks were moving forward as he did this. Hiro gulped. "Why are you asking me this...?"

"Well, which do you think your friend will look cuter in?"

"Exactly, if you ever asked her out, which would you want to see her wear?"

"Well, unless you're dating her already."

"Nonono, I am just her friend!" Hiro protested furiously, his face reddening as he tried to avoid their glaring eyes.

"Oh, really?" both of them exclaimed. They turned around to demand an answer out of Hiro's friend, only to find Kyoko gone. "Huh?"

Hiro took this time to immediately dart away and hide behind a rack of clothes. His head began to move back and forth, looking around for Kyoko again. _Damn it, Nakamura-chan, why do you keep doing that?_ he thought, beginning to get very frustrated.

He pushed away a brassiere from his view, only to see Kyoko walking down the main street outside of the store in the mall. Hiro's glare lowered as she disappeared from sight, his frustration growing. _Why the hell did..._

Before he could even finish his sentence, his cellphone began to ring. He immediately answered it without bothering to check the ID. "Hello?"

"Meet me out here now."

Hiro froze, thrown off guard at Kyoko's voice. "How did you get – "

Before he could answer, Kyoko hung up on him. Hiro immediately dismissed the call as he closed his phone and placed it back in his pocket, about to curse, only to realize that there was a little girl looking up at him. He glanced at his hair, realizing that the bra he had pushed back was stuck in one of his spikes.

"What the - ?!" the black-haired boy exclaimed as his blue eyes widened.

The girl giggled as Hiro groaned and pushed it off. He immediately bolted out of the store as fast as he could, quickly catching up to Kyoko as he walked side-by-side with her, panting. "Are you trying to make my life miserable?" he gasped, fixing his headset around his neck.

"No." Her eyes glanced at him from behind her shades. "Why do you ask?"

Hiro stopped right in his tracks and opened his mouth incredulously, about to reply. He simply shook his head and gave up again. "So what now?" he wondered.

Kyoko continued to walk. "We'll talk about how much you know about self-defense and fighting," the short-haired girl said. "Do you have any training experience at all?"

Hiro scratched the back of his head. "Not really," he started hesitantly, "but I do watch and read action movies and manga."

Kyoko looked at him _very _disapprovingly. Hiro sweatdropped. "My dad did teach me a few tricks or two if it helps..." he added.

"Well, what was he?" Kyoko asked.

"A police officer...?"

Kyoko turned back forward. "Well, that's a relief. Hopefully with some more training, you can survive longer than ten seconds in a really tough fight."

Hiro winced. "Well, what about you?" he asked her.

"I took a basic self-defense course two years ago and I'm one of the top in my gym class' archery course."

Hiro blinked. "Whoa, impressive," he murmured as he looked towards her with the same respect he did back in the Data Room. "You do seem good at using that cool bow and arrow, come to think of it."

Kyoko gave a nod. "I thank you for the compliment," she responded. "Unfortunately, I can't use that anymore."

"Eh?" the male exclaimed. He raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I broke it back in the fight. It's under repairs as we speak."

Before Hiro could say anything more, she suddenly pulled out what looked exactly like a _slingshot._ "This is my temporary weapon until it is fixed," Kyoko explained as she held it up.

"...are you serious about using that...?"

Kyoko lifted her chin up. "I never miss."

Hiro couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Wait, I just remembered," he pointed out. "What am _I_ suppose to use to fight against the Shadows?"

Kyoko stopped, and glanced to her right. Hiro followed the direction of her gaze to see the front entrance of what looked like a small hardware tool store.

Words failed Hiro as he opened his mouth, trying to say something about this. Kyoko walked inside right away, and Hiro simply followed her, still _very_ against this. As Kyoko and Hiro walked through the aisles, a question nagged at Hiro's mind, although, he didn't exactly want to ask it. _I mean, how stupid would it be to go into a hardware store to find..._

He stopped when she did, her head lifting up as she saw something that caught her attention. It was then that Kyoko reached into a basket, pulling out two rather large screwdrivers. "These will do for now," she said.

..._a weapon._

"You're kidding me, right?!" Hiro demanded, feeling as though a bus had hit him.

Kyoko looked up at him. "Would you prefer _golf clubs_ instead?" she drawled.

_Actually, yes, but..._

Kyoko put them down and grabbed an electronic drill. "Or would you rather use _this?"_

_Well, maybe not THAT, but at least with the clubs..._

"This is cheap," Kyoko concluded, grabbing the screwdrivers and placing them in his hands. "We'll just deal with these. They're big enough to be used as weapons anyway."

Hiro opened his mouth to protest when Kyoko begins walking to the cashier line-up. "Besides, I don't trust you enough to be holding onto knives or swords right now anyway," she included rather dryly.

She pointed to the antique and what appeared to be a weaponry aisle. Hiro has a shocked expression as his eyes bulged. "Why the hell do they have those here in a hardware store?" he marvelled, stepping into it and beginning to admire the wall.

Kyoko shook her head. "Didn't you know they have those here in this particular chain?" she asked. "But I believe they are fake." She pointed to what looked like a katana. Hiro glanced at it, studying the craftsmanship and the very intricate handle design, as well as various characters written on it.

"Read it," Kyoko told him.

Hiro did not need to be told this again, already ahead of her as he...attempted...to read it. He squinted as he leaned forward more closely. "I...can't. This is all random and some of these aren't even real kanji..." he realized.

Kyoko nodded. "Exactly."

"Oh, I see what you mean."

Finally, Kyoko and Hiro got to the cashier, where Hiro offered to pay for the screwdrivers (despite really not wanting to). Both walked out of the store, Hiro carrying the screwdrivers in a plastic bag with the hardware store's logo right on it. "Well, that takes care of business for today," Kyoko said. "Any questions?"

Hiro took the screwdrivers out of the bag and held it in his hands. "How will these even affect the Shadows anyway?" he groused.

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "When you think of them as screwdrivers, then there's no point," she retorted. "Think of them as something like sai swords and hold them like that."

"But I don't know how to use sai – "

"Just pretend they're something like weapons!"

Hiro backed away from that outburst. "Okay, okay, sorry for that!"

Kyoko sighed and pulled out her slingshot. She pulled back on the strap, and got into what looked like a ready stance. "See, how does this look?"

Hiro sweatdropped. "A little too much like you're trying too hard..."

The girl stood back up and shook her head. "If that's how your mindset is going to be like, then you might as well fight bare-handed," she scolded.

"Okay, sorry, but I can't imagine these as weapons. Wasn't it you that said that TV and books was not a good way to learn fighting?"

"Yes, but fiction does not distract from the idea that anything can kill anything."

Hiro sighed. He spun the screwdrivers in his hands, gripping onto the handles as he held them at ready, like swords, his face set determinedly and his legs spread some distance from each other. "Well, how is this then?" he drawled.

As Hiro said that, he didn't expect to hear the voice of a familiar friend.

"Hiro?"

Hiro blinked and turned around in his current stance, seeing Lily and Marcus wearing suits and holding various bags in their hands. "Oh! Nguyen-_chan,_ Howard-_san,_ what are you doing here?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

Marcus stopped sipping on a large slushie he was holding and stared back at Hiro. "Wondering why you're standing like that with screwdrivers looking pretty epic." He shifted his eyes. "Whether it's an epic fail or not, I'm not too sure I wanna say."

Hiro sweatdropped, feeling even more ridiculous by the second. "How long were you there?" he wondered meekly.

Lily blinked. "Uh..." She sweatdropped along with Marcus as they exchanged glances. "A while now, yeah! We were just getting these suits for...graduation..."

Marcus nodded right away. "Yeah! You know, even though Lily is supposed to be wearing a dress and all..."

"Yeah, haha, stupid me!"

Hiro raised an eyebrow as he returned to his normal posture. "Isn't it too early to think about the graduation ceremony suits?" he asked.

"Yeah, well, you know, you can't convince girls about this kind of stuff, haha!" Marcus laughed.

Lily rolled her eyes and smacked Marcus with one of the bags she was holding. "Ow!" the blonde exclaimed, rubbing his arm as he turned to glare at her. "Well, it's _true!"_

At that moment, Kyoko stepped forward next to Hiro. "Why have you been following us?" she commanded, her tone cold.

Lily and Marcus immediately froze. Hiro looked back to Kyoko, confused. "What do you mean, Kyoko?" Lily responded, trying to feign disbelief.

It was Kyoko's turn to roll her eyes as she removed her glasses. "You were disguised as those two men with the strange hair at Rise and Shine earlier," she accused. Her gaze narrowed as she stepped forward. "You pretended that I didn't recognize you."

Hiro blinked and looked back at Lily and Marcus. "You guys were...?" he began in shock.

"N-no way!" Lily blurted back. "Come on, why would I want to do that?! Right, Marcus?"

"Yeah, Super-Hiro, it can't be us at all!" Marcus instantaneously concurred.

"Uh..."

Marcus and Lily blinked. Hiro pointed at the contents of the bag Lily just used to smack Marcus. "Why are there wigs in there anyway that look like the ones the men from before in that cafe were wearing...?" he questioned with a baffled gaze.

Lily and Marcus crestfallenly looked down at the clearly visible afro and spiked wig. Marcus looked back up, completely serious. "We're dressing up as the Elite Beat Agents for Halloween."

"Marcus, give it up, we're busted."

Marcus groaned and took a long sip of his slushie. "Why are you following us?" Hiro wanted to know, his eyebrows furrowing.

Lily and Marcus exchanged looks again, as though to challenge one another to tell him. It was Lily who conceded defeat as she turned back to Hiro. "Don't ask."

Hiro sweatdropped. "Did...my aunt and uncle ask you to follow me...?" he wondered. "I told you guys already, this really is not a date..."

"Yeah, but..."

Marcus stopped sipping. "We couldn't help it, man. Your aunt and uncle are pretty persuasive..."

A frown crossed Hiro's face. "Well, you guys..."

Kyoko quickly cut him off. "Whatever they want, it's none of their business and it's not yours either," she told him.

"Okay, okay!"

Marcus winced, but Lily appeared to have had enough as she briskly stepped forward. "What do you mean it's not any of our business in what you're getting involved into?!" she demanded to know.

Kyoko and Hiro suddenly froze. Did they overhear enough of their conversation to learn about...?

Lily glowered at the other girl. "We're Hiro's buds, Kyoko, and quite frankly if you're getting him in with the wrong type of people that's just gonna get him into shit when he's only lived here for a while, then we're intervening!" Her eyes shifted to Marcus. "Right, Marcus?!"

"Yeah, even though we know little about Hiro, we know this: he is still our buddy!" Marcus agreed, his confusion quickly turning into determination.

Kyoko's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You shouldn't be putting yourself up at risk that easily just for the sake of one guy," she told him.

Lily didn't seem fazed as she dropped her bags and clenched her fists. "Oh, why the hell not?!" She lowered her glare intensely. "Give it up, Kyoko...we already know the secret."

Hiro's eyes narrowed in concern.

_This doesn't look good at all..._

"You're part of some gang, aren't you, and YOU are trying to force Hiro to do some crap I don't even wanna know about, because he's NOT gonna do it!"

Hiro's eyes popped wide open.

_Wait, what?_

He raised an eyebrow uncertainly. "Lily, what the hell are you talking about?" Hiro murmured, blinking.

"That's right!" Marcus added, shoving his slushie into Lily's hands and stepping forward, pointing an accusing finger at Hiro and Kyoko. "You're trying to get Hiro to assassinate someone in your Yakuza group or something, aren't you?!"

Hiro was completely dumbfounded now. Kyoko however did not look amused as she stared at Marcus. "You can't be serious," she replied.

Lily's glare wavered. "Well...it's still dangerous, whatever you're getting him into! Why else did he look so hesitant during that conversation?!" she accused.

"Umm, its wasn't anything you guys just said," Hiro tried to argue, raising his hands.

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Pft, oh please, don't make excuses!" he retorted. He stepped back, took back his slushie and whispered to Lily, "I _told_ you it was a game!"

Lily smacked his arm as she continued to glare at Kyoko and Hiro, ignoring Marcus wincing. "Then WHAT was it exactly?"

Hiro sweatdropped. "Umm, it was just..."

"Him and I are talking about arranged marriage," Kyoko suddenly interjected smoothly.

Marcus immediately choked on his slushie, coughing and dropping the straw. Lily recoiled, her eyes wide. "WHAT?!" she cried.

Kyoko's glare returned. "Of COURSE not!" the shorter-haired girl shot back. "Whatever we're talking about is nothing that you should be concerned about, alright?"

Lily was about to respond, but at that moment Kyoko grabbed Hiro's arm and began dragging him away. Hiro blinked. "Wh - where are we going?!" he stammered, turning to look at her.

"Away. Clearly, I can't sink it into their skulls that this isn't - "

Suddenly, Lily grabbed Hiro's other arm. "CLEARLY, we're both friends of Hiro," she hissed. "How am I supposed to establish that trust with him or YOU if you're gonna be so dodgy about this whole freakin' subject, HUH?!"

Hiro was about to speak until Kyoko cut him off. "It appears that you don't know what privacy means, Nguyen."

"'Scuse me, Nakamura? Uh, I think if it's making people I know uncomfortable and I can stop it, then I think privacy doesn't really matter anymore"

Hiro sweatdropped again. _Jeez, this is getting bad, _he mused._ And just a few days ago Nakamura-chan was willing to lend Nguyen-chan her notes!_

Marcus, who was drinking his slushie minus a straw, simply watched Hiro in a game of tug-o-war, him being the rope with two girls both at his side. The blonde sighed and shook his head. "Hiro, do something before they start tugging. Chicks who are crazy about a guy will do that."

Lily and Kyoko suddenly shot him an equally loaded look.

"...I'm gonna shut up now around you two," Marcus squeaked, and resumed delicately sipping from the rim as he took a few wary steps back.

Hiro exchanged looks between Lily and Kyoko. "Ladies, can you please let go of my arm?" he asked, hoping they wouldn't snap at him.

Kyoko and Lily looked back at each other, still in a staring contest, and let go of Hiro's arms. "You know what? Fine, I'll let you off," Lily said. "But I'm not gonna drop this subject that easily, ESPECIALLY if anything happens that's out of place. Got it?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I think that's pointless, but as long as we can settle this for now," she responded. "This is beginning to get on my nerves."

Lily scoffed. "Your nerves aren't the only ones."

Kyoko simply shook her head. With that, she began to walk away. "We're done for the day, Hiro, go stay with your friends," she told him. "See you in school."

Hiro nodded. "Okay."

Marcus and Lily watched her walk away from them, before both of them turned towards Hiro. "Alright," Lily murmured. She pulled out her visor from one of the bags and slipped it on as she began walking. "Let's go find the arcade. We might as well while we're here."

Marcus shrugged and follows her, but not too closely. Hiro followed her as well, feeling very uneasy and not sure of what to say.

_Just great, _Hiro sulked as he bit his lower lip._ My friends think I'm in some sort of mafia or something. This is crazy..._

Hiro decided to try and speak up. He cleared his throat. "So, other than today's conflictions, how was your day?" he piped up.

Lily said nothing as she continued to walk. Hiro sweatdrop returned and his eyebrows furrowed. _Oh, no, am I going to be ignored AGAIN...?_

Hiro was about to say something until Marcus went up to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hiro, I hate to say it, but I think you shouldn't talk with her right now..." he whispered.

The black-haired male's frustration waned. "I am guessing she is just that pissed off?" he whispered back.

Marcus shot Hiro a look as though to say _is it really that hard to guess? _Hiro sighed as his mood continued to drop. "This is the second time today a girl has decided to ignore me constantly."

Marcus shrugged, and gulped down the last bit of his slushie. "They're built differently, Super-Hiro. PMS or something."

Hiro looked concerned. "Howard-_san_, it is a wise idea never to say that out loud for you will be mauled by a group of angry girls," he advised warily.

Marcus dropped the empty plastic cup inside of a garbage can as he loosened his tie. "Yeah, I learned this a very long time ago," he murmured.

"What do you mean by that?"

The mood suddenly changed as Marcus's eyes suddenly narrowed bleakly. "I don't think it's a good idea to talk about right now, Super-Hiro, trust me."

Hiro's eyebrows rose. He was suddenly very curious of what just happened to make Howard-_san_ turn gloomy.

It appeared that Marcus really didn't want to talk about it as he looked back up. "Well, we better hurry up," he said. "Lily is very far from us so we should probably catch up to her."

Hiro realized that Marcus was right as he looked up. Lily was still walking, not even giving them heed of how far ahead she was ahead of them. He and Marcus quickly hurried up behind her – just behind her though. "Hey, Howard-_san,_ I forgot the date. What's today?"

"Huh?" Marcus blinked. "Uhm...Sunday, the second of October. Why?"

"Just wondering because of when we should get the tickets of Risette."

Marcus stared at him for a moment, before he snapped his fingers as his face lit up. "Oh, yeah, that hot chick on the TV earlier! Risette! Yeah, I wanna know how to get those myself!"

Hiro nodded. "They did say she will hold a concert in Calgary on Halloween day, and it is wise to buy the tickets before being sold out," he explained with a smile. He looked back forward. "What do you think, Nguyen-_chan?"_

Hiro for that brief moment had forgotten about Lily's mood. She stops in her tracks. She sighed, as though in surrender. "Only question is where we're gonna get tickets, like Agent Doofus here said," she said, her back still to them.

Marcus wagged a finger. "Hey, hey, it's Agent X to you for Sexy," he drawled, and then did what looked like a spin and a failed attempt at a moonwalk.

Hiro blinked. "What was that?"

Marcus stopped. "That was the dance of Agent X." He turned back to Hiro and shot out an arm, giving a thumbs-up. "YEAH!"

"Oh, brother," Lily murmured, now turning slightly to face them.

Hiro sweatdropped. "It is a unusual dance...it doesn't even look like dancing the way you're doing it."

Marcus nearly faceplanted and Lily couldn't help but let out a snicker. Hiro looked over to her and felt relief wash over him, hoping that she might not be mad at him anymore.

Suddenly, Marcus' eyes widened. "Oh, sweet!" he gasped. His hand immediately pointed behind Lily. "There it is!"

Lily and Hiro turned to the direction he was pointing in, only to see what looked like a very spacious, appealing arcade. "Here I come, the King of Games!" Marcus boasted, and rushed off, leaving Hiro and Lily behind in his dust.

Hiro couldn't help but smirk. "Seems he just ripped off a quote from a dubbed anime I watched."

He did not get a response from Lily as she continued to look blankly towards the arcade. Hiro ran a hair through his hair. "Uh...looks like it has a lot of games," he started again. "Do you want to go inside?"

"Hiro, I have a question for you."

Hiro blinks, and looks towards Lily. "What's your question?" he wondered.

Irritation returned to Lily's face. "Why are you helping Kyoko?"

Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Well, what is wrong with helping Nakamura-_chan?" _he asked back, but then he saw the look in Lily's eyes. He gulped. "Nguyen-_chan, _please don't worry. It's nothing that you fear it is. I'll...I'll be alright."

"But it practically sounded like you are going to _fight_ something for her."

Hiro bit his lower lip. He shook his head, forcing a smile. "No, no, you misunderstood. Nakamura-_chan_ just wants to see me committed to her request."

Lily looked down at the plastic bag he was holding. "Then what is with those screwdrivers?"

"She...wanted me to help fix something at her house."

It was Lily's turn to raise an eyebrow as though to say _really now?_ Hiro shifted his eyes nervously, only to suddenly have his arm yanked on (as well as Lily's) by Marcus, who looked very eager and was grinning widely.

"Oh, dude, they have the new beta V2 VeloCity Rush in four player mode!" the excited young adult babbled, and pointed at what appears to be a racing game with virtual reality simulation goggles, as well as a monitor above the four racing machines and people watching the current four racers playing. "We HAVE to play it!"

"Okay, okay, just calm down, Howard-_san!"_

Lily, however, looks a little interested now. "No way, four-player arcade machines using Virtual Visuals?" she marvelled, her eyes widening.

Marcus looked as enthusiastic as a little kid in a candy store as he shook their arms. "Well, check it out yourself, come on, come on, so we can check this out right away, pleeeeaaase?"

"Fine," Hiro sighed as Marcus let go of them. "Anyways, it seems like a brand new machine that just got shipped here."

"But you're Japanese," Marcus pointed out. "Surely you've seen these things around your hometown."

Hiro tried to respond to that, when Lily just shook her head and began walking towards the inside of the arcade. "Alright, let's see if it's any good. You coming, Hiro?" she called.

The other Asian paused. Why not? "Okay, might as well see how good this game is," Hiro finally said, following her in.

Marcus smirked. "Oh, it doesn't disappoint," he reassured him.

* * * * * * * *

_**October 2  
**__**The Johnson Residence**_

"I'm home," Hiro called, walking in through the front door of his Canadian house.

It didn't seem like the same house as Eric suddenly jumped out of the clothing closet, looking over Hiro's shoulder (nearly giving Hiro a heart attack). "Okay, headcount," the brown-haired man murmured, pushing the door open to look at a wide-eyed Lily and Marcus. "Girl next door, check. Boy who tries too hard, check. Other girl Hiro was dating..." He looked confused. "Not...with you?"

His nephew's eye twitched. "Uncle, I already told you, it was not a date," he seethed.

Eric raised his arms as he stepped back. "Alright, if you insist."

He looked past Hiro towards Marcus and Lily, who just shook their heads. "He knows, Mr. Johnson," Lily drawled.

Eric's face fell. "Aww, but I had faith in you two!" he pouted.

Lily jabbed her thumb towards Marcus. "Blame on this guy over here," she muttered.

Marcus rolled his green eyes. "Well, you don't do a good job at playing a guy," he responded dryly. "And you're pretty good with that when you really get into it."

"What is _that_ suppose to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

Lily sighed and subtly kicked his leg, prompting him to wince and hop around. "Damn, that hurt, you witch," Marcus hissed while holding the injured foot.

The girl ignored him and turned back to Eric and Hiro. "Anyway, we should probably get packing up and going. We've got to be home by today."

"Ah, it's okay for you guys to stay a little longer," Eric scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "It's only five anyways."

Hiro, Lily, and Marcus looked a little confused. "Uncle, it's..." Hiro began, and quickly pulled back his arm to check his watch. "Not five..."

Lily pulled out her cellphone. "Actually, Hiro is right. It's half past six."

Eric quickly had that same look on his face that meant he was thinking what could be wrong, until...

"Ai, Akira!" Luna's voice could be heard hollering. "Did you two change the time again?!"

Ai and Akira's voices giggled soon after. Eric looked unimpressed as he realized what had just happened. Hiro and Marcus couldn't help but snicker. "As we were saying, we should get ready to pack up and leave," Lily repeated, fixing her visor and putting down the bags.

"Aw, you sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" Eric whined mockingly.

Hiro nodded. "You are always welcome here."

Lily gave a small, appreciative smile. "Yeah, but our parents will get worried about us," she pointed out.

Marcus nodded. "Yeah, and besides, I gotta get home to beat that level I'm on."

Lily raised an eyebrow as she looked back towards Marcus. "I think you mean that extra work you have, right?"

Marcus raised his eyebrow at her, as though to say _do I really have to? _"Yes, you have to, jeez, it's going to help your mark," Lily scoffed.

"Yeah, Howard-_san_, you should do some work for you will be able to get it off your hand," Hiro suggested, adding onto Lily's advice.

The other boy gave a loud groan. "But homework is boring and pointless," he complained. "How is it going to help me once I get out of school?"

Eric smirked. "Well, it helps with getting with the ladies."

"...another reason, please?"

Eric's face fell. "What's so wrong with scoring with the ladies with those high marks? That's how I got to meet Luna."

As if on cue, Luna walked right into the living room, followed by Ai and Akira, wearing a smirk on her face of equal value. "As I remember, YOU got those high marks with MY help," she swiftly corrected.

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Oh, dear, what do you mean – "

Before he could even finish, Luna's thumb and forefinger immediately grabbed hold of Eric's earlobe. "Remember how you went to me to get help for Calculus, using it as a ploy to get to me, but in the end you REALLY needed my help?" the long-haired Japanese woman boasted.

"I'm sorry, dear, but – "

"Ahh, I loved how you just grovelled and begged in front of me that one day and admitted that you really didn't pay much attention to all my previous tutoring..." Luna continued smugly, ignoring her husband's pain. "I love a man who knows how to be submissive..."

Akira and Ai began to giggle at their uncle's misfortune. Even Lily snickered, but Marcus sweatdropped at the rather lewd comment. Hiro just shook his head left and right with what was happening right now. Luna let go of Eric's ear, then turned to face Lily and Marcus. "We're sorry for making you do something you didn't want to do," she told them sincerely. "Anyway, I'll drop you guys back home if you want to."

"It's okay for me, Mrs. Johnson," Lily replied. "I live close by, I'm your neighbour, remember?"

"Oh, yes!" Luna exclaimed. "The girl next door..."

"Yeah, you know what they say about the girl next door," Marcus remarked with a cheeky grin.

Lily did not hesitate to punch his arm. "Oww..." Marcus seethed, now holding his arm and wincing in pain. "Why are women abusive?!"

Eric seethed himself as he rubbed his red earlobe. "I don't know..."

Akira looked up at Ai. _"Do you know why?"_ the male twin asked.

Ai gave him a rather dirty look. Akira sweatdropped. _"I – I take that back..."_

Hiro blinked. _So this is the wrath of women... _he thought meekly.

* * * * * * * *

It was 11:45 late in the evening. Time had passed by rather quickly after the absence of Lily and Marcus, who have long since gone home. The house was quiet and everyone was sleeping, expect for Hiro, who sat at his computer desk and stared off out his window with a blank expression on his face.

_Man, today was a crazy day,_ he thought. He then reached for the screwdrivers lying on his desk and held them up in the air to look at. _Now I'm wondering how could this even damage a Shadow..._

He placed them back down and sighed. _Maybe I should rest on it tonight...after all, tomorrow I will have to face Kyoko...and Mackenzie..._

He gulped. _But mostly Mackenzie if he finds out what I decided. _

Not wanting to stress on that impending storm any longer, Hiro got up and yawned, walking over to his bed and flopping down on it right away. He began to close his eyes, feeling very exhausted.

He was just about to drift off until a familiar voice suddenly began to emit from his computer.

"Welcome back to this special broadcast of The Wake of Dawn."

Hiro immediately sat up, not too happy about this. He stood up and walked back towards his computer cautiously, watching as a video popped up on his screen. Blitzkrieg looked at him through the computer monitor with a wry smirk.

* * *

_**To Be Continued**_


	13. Sick and Uneasy

_**Author Notes:**_

_KingHiro:__ Yeah, sorry we were kinda busy with our studies, so you might expect slow updates.  
__XinFyrrae: __Hopefully now with a new semester beginning for us, we can update more, so stay tuned!_

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
**__**Chapter 13: Sick and Uneasy**_

* * *

_**October 3, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence**_

Hiro's eyes widened. He sat down back at his computer desk, watching the video continue as Blitzkrieg gave a short shake of his head. "Sorry for a surprise broadcast, but our producers insisted that we delay your tine a bit with some very special news," the man explained. "I hope you won't mind another episode with our lack of victims."

The crowd seems to disagree with this as hissing and booing could be heard. Blitzkrieg's smirk quickly shifted to a glare as he pulled out his pistol and fired it upwards. The audience immediately calmed down. "THANK YOU," he exclaimed. "Anyway, as I was saying before this rude audience interrupted my little spiel for you."

Blitzkrieg's hand lowered, still holding the gun. "We have some special information for you guys. Whether or not you personally find it important, I don't really care, just shut up and listen."

Hiro raised an eyebrow. _Important information…?_

"We will be having a _special_ guest coming towards our humble shows."

This only prompted Hiro's eyes to widen. _A...special guest…? _he wondered.

Blitzkrieg smirked again. "Instead of outright telling you all who it is, though, I think I'll just give a couple of...hints."

_Why does he need to give out hints? _Hiro thought as he sat back, his eyes still fixed on the computer monitor.

The lights dimmed as Blitzkrieg stepped back, as though ready to say something very important. "A student of the world," Blitzkrieg promptly drawled, placing the gun back behind his blazer. "Ahh, it feels good to be so young and to wear the clothes of flying royalty, if you get what I mean."

Hiro blinked, confused.

"Little too young to be playing the game of trying to fit in around you, but hey, that's teenage life, isn't it?"

Hiro blinked again, still trying to wrap his mind around what Blitzkrieg was trying to say. _What is he talking about? _he thought anxiously.

Blitzkrieg snapped his fingers, and a silhouette of a person appeared on stage. It was unclear who or even what gender it was as the shadowy figure looked up at the crowd. However, a crown slowly materialized on the silhouette's head, and two pairs of wings began to sprout from its back."What a funny looking symbol to have for the school," Blitzkrieg chided. He shook his head. "Seems so unoriginal..."

It suddenly dawned on Hiro what this meant as the camera cut to a close-up of the black figure looking towards the camera.

The black-haired male gasped and pulled back away from his monitor, realizing what school Blitzkrieg was talking about. _"No way,"_ Hiro hissed. _"You don't mean he's actually targeting..."_

The silhouette suddenly flickered and vanished as the wings exploded into nothing but wilting feathers, scattering amongst the stage before they faded away. The camera panned back to Blitzkrieg, who turned towards the camera smiling. "Well, that's all for now, folks. We hope you tune in next time for hopefully a proper showing of The Wake of Dawn. I'm Blitzkrieg, and I hope you have a good night."

With that, he pulled out his gun again and shot it upstage, causing the lights to break and black out amongst the chattering crowd. The video then cut off, leaving Hiro looking at a black screen in fear and frustration.

_It can't be that he is actually targeting our school, _Hiro thought as he tried to calm himself down. _This can't be happening._

He took a deep breath, before he shifted his eyes and cast a look into his closet. His blazer dangled from a hanger idly. The half sun and moon logo with a crown and a pair of wings underneath it now troubled Hiro more than ever as he looked back to the screen.

_Just great. Now another problem is heading in for tomorrow._

The boy shook his head and gritted his teeth, before he stood up and walked back to his bed weakly. What was he supposed to do now...?

* * * * * * * *

_**October 3, 2016  
**__**Prince Royale Private High School**_

The front building of Prince Royale stood tall and proud as Hiro trudged himself towards the school's entrance, looking extremely exhausted. _Oh, man, I can't believe I couldn't sleep at all, _he thought, rubbing a hand over his eyes and trying not to drop his books. _With all the stuff that's going on..._

It was Marcus that first approached Hiro, readjusting his trademark baseball cap. "Hey, Super-Hiro, sup?" he greeted, waving at him as he approached the other male.

Hiro's head slowly turned to look at his blond friend. "Hey Mar..." He yawned loudly. "...cus."

Marcus stopped dead in his tracks. He looked wide-eyed towards Hiro. "Whoa...what happened to the whole _san-sama_ thing?" he asked. "Not that I have a problem with it anymore, but...yeah."

Hiro blinked. "Excuse for my manner," Hiro responded with a small bow of his head, "but I feel a little tired that I forget my gentleman ways."

This caused Marcus to snicker. "Pft, gentlemen, dude, we're practically the same age. Nothing wrong with letting loose a little!" Marcus' smirk disappeared as he raised an eyebrow. "But man, you look a little too loose."

All Hiro could do was nod. "Yeah, that is what happens when I am tired," he explained.

Marcus was about to say more, when at that moment, two female students quickly walked by him, holding posters and some tape.

"Where should we put these?"

"I don't know...what parts of the school did John and Raelle cover?"

"I'm not too sure..."

Marcus and Hiro stopped and blinked as the girls halted right at the front door. The first student took a sheet of paper from the second one's pile, and snapped off a piece of tape from a roll as she slapped the paper on the front door. "What the hell are they doing?" Marcus wondered.

After...whatever it was...was taped on, the two girls went into the school building. Hiro and Marcus approached the door to look at the sheet. It was a rather elaborate poster depicting the school logo in the top corner, but instead of angel wings had bat wings, and the red and blue appeared to have been switched with orange. The sun and moon were now replaced with a full moon in a dark sky.

The rest of the design consisted of knarly-looking trees, bats, what looked like cartoony ghosts, and two to three people dressed up as a Lolita, Frankenstein, and a vampire. The text was very gothic and sharp, too, with some dripping red fonts as well. "Oh, I know what this is now," Marcus murmured thoughtfully.

Hiro, still a little muddled, looked at Marcus. "What is it then, Howard-_san?"_ he asked.

Marcus turned towards him, readjusting his glasses. "Well, this has been pretty much a tradition here and everywhere else," he began to explain. "A costume contest for Halloween is coming up soon!"

"A costume contest," Hiro echoed. He scratched the back of his head. "Sounds interesting."

Marcus grinned. "Hell yeah it is!" he agreed as he turned back to the poster, looking extremely motivated. "I've seen the stuff people have done, and now I don't wanna miss out on the fun. This year, I'm gonna definitely kick some ass in the competition!"

"Oh, please, you didn't even place in anything last year."

Marcus and Hiro turned around to see Lily. The girl rolled her eyes. "I might not do it this year either, it's too much effort," she added in.

"Oh, come on, Lily!" Marcus protested, shaking his head. "This is your last year, you might as well go all out!"

Hiro nodded. "Howard_-san_ is right, I might join this as well and have this be my first Halloween contest entrance."

Marcus and Lily each turned to Hiro in unison. "Weren't there cosplay and dress-up contests at your schools?" Lily questioned just before Marcus could.

A sweatdrop formed on Hiro as his figure slouched. "You can't compete with them..." the suddenly dispirited boy pouted.

Marcus and Lily sweatdropped as well. "That good, huh..."

"Yes," Hiro groaned, flashbacks of very-well made outfits and even robot suits appearing in his head, as well as schoolgirl uniforms and provocative outfits. "And there are so many 'traps' in those too..."

Marcus blinked. "'Traps?'"

Lily's sweatdrop deepened. "Well, good news...you can tell who's a guy and who's a girl for these costumes...even if they DO crossdress..." she told Hiro.

Marcus's eyes widened. "Oh. OHHH!" Suddenly, he looked extremely disgusted. _"OH!"_

"Yeah, that is a good thing to hear about," Hiro replied in blatant sarcasm.

The bell suddenly rang. Marcus opened the doors for Lily and Hiro. "Time to head in and fall asleep again in good, old, boring Social Studies," the taller male drawled.

Lily glared at him. "Marcus."

Hiro suddenly began to look very distressed. _Oh, great, this is the time I have to face Mr. Mackenzie, _he realized in horror.

With that, each of them split up to go to their individual lockers. Hiro started to feel sick as he began to take out his textbooks from his bag and his locker. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...but, he made his choice...

He closed his locker door, only to see Kyoko standing right there behind it. "Hiro," she said.

Hiro nearly jumped back, startled. "Um, good morning, Kyoko," he greeted. "Uh, Nakamura-_chan. _Good morning."

Kyoko nodded once, not fazed by Hiro's current condition. "Good morning to you too."

Hiro snapped the lock on his locker shut. "You know the bell has rang already, we must hurry to social class," he told her.

Kyoko just nodded again, before she turned around and started walking towards their classroom destination. Hiro gulped, following her.

Without turning around, Kyoko remarked, "You look terrible."

Hiro shrugged. "Yeah, I'm just a little tired," he replied.

"I'm taking a wild guess it's about the game show, isn't it?"

Hiro shifted uncomfortably as he readjusted his books. "You saw it too...?"

"Yeah, I saw it," Kyoko responded. "It seems they are trying to aim for someone at this school."

Hiro frowned. "But...who could it be...?"

Before Kyoko could answer, they finally reached Room 2100. _Mackenzie's room. _Both of them walked into the classroom, only to see the students chatting and...

It was then that Hiro blinked, his shoulders still tense. _"Where is...Mackenzie-sensei?"_ he whispered.

It was Kyoko's turn to frown. _"I'm not sure..." _she murmured.

As Hiro and Kyoko walked towards their desks, Lily suddenly looked up from her textbook towards Kyoko. The look on her face didn't appear to be inviting in the least.

Kyoko seemed to ignore this as she took her seat. Hiro, now sitting beside Lily, saw her glaring at Kyoko. Marcus also noticed the tension. The bespectacled male cleared his throat as he looked around the room. "So, any of you guys know where the hell Mackenzie is?" Marcus asked them.

Lily, breaking off glaring towards Kyoko's direction while still retaining the glare, looked back at her book. "No idea, maybe we have a sub?" she suggested.

A smile broke out on Marcus' face. "Aw, sweet!" he exclaimed. "Wonder who it is?"

At that moment, the door opened. "Alright, settle down, students," Mr. Craigsworth ordered as he stepped into the room with a bag and some papers.

Marcus' smile immediately disappeared. "Shit."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh, God. You asked for it, Howard."

"What's with the disappointment?" Hiro inquired, casting his eyes to Mr. Craigsworth warily.

Lily looked back at Hiro. "Remember how I told you about Craigsworth and what kind of teacher he was?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

A hand suddenly set itself on Hiro's shoulder rather firmly. "Ms. Nguyen, I would appreciate it if you would follow my orders when I say settle down so we can begin right away," Mr. Craigsworth told her. His eyes shifted down to Hiro. "That goes for your friend as well, and all of you."

Everyone immediately deadpanned, "yes, sir."

Hiro sweatdropped as Mr. Craigsworth took his hand off his shoulder. _Oh, boy, déjà vu._ _But maybe he isn't as bad as Lily says._ _Maybe they're just not used to the type of work he is said to give and –_

Mr. Craigsworth looked at a sheet of paper in his hand. "So, according to this, everybody is to work on reading the entire unit and doing the questions I will be providing near the end of the class," he explained. "This way, I know you will have read the unit's length in its entirety and concise detail."

The class' faces fell. _Hello again, Japan... _Hiro remarked to himself with a sweatdrop.

A hand went up. "Mr. Craigsworth, where's Mr. Mackenzie?" the voice of the hand-raiser asked.

Mr. Craigsworth walked away from Hiro. "That is none of your business at this moment, but if you must know, he was called down to assist in the computer labs for some bugs." The man's gaze narrowed. "For what reason is not important to you right now, your work is."

Hiro suddenly felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. _Thank God, _he thought with a heavy sigh.

As Mr. Craigsworth went to sit down at the teacher's desk and pull out some more papers from his bag, everybody opened their books to read, daydream, nod their heads drowsily, or text. Hiro, who was one of those reading, pause for a second to look around and observe what the rest of his classmates were doing.

Marcus looked ready to fall asleep. Lily appeared to be reading as well, taking down small jot notes on a piece of paper. Kyoko looked like she was doing what she was supposed to be doing as well. Content, Hiro turned back to his studies. He felt he started to understand it more, particularly the ideas about Adam Smith and the concept of the Invisible Hand.

One thing was bothering him, though: he still had to see Mackenzie after lunch since Mackenzie was his teacher advisor. Hiro's face grew tense.

_I need to tell him about my decision..._

Suddenly, he noticed Mr. Craigsworth beginning to look up towards his and Marcus' direction. "Mr. Howard, will you refrain from dozing off and please get to work?" the teacher demanded.

"Huh, wha?" Marcus stuttered, his head jolting up. "Whuzzat?"

"As I said just now, get to work, Mr. Howard."

Marcus' eyes began to shift left and right. "Uhm...I am working, sir! I'm absorbing the information into my head in deep concentration!" he quickly retorted. He forced a smile.

Mr. Craigsworth was not amused. "Don't lie to me, Mr. Howard, or I'll see you after school."

Marcus' smile quickly disappeared. "Yes, sir," he replied meekly.

With that Marcus turned back to his book in a manner of real concentration. Hiro turned back to his own, trying to look discreet. _Wow, _was all he could say about the current situation.

As time gradually passed, Hiro began to grow bored, and was about to consider dozing off himself or slipping on his headset, until a sheet of paper was placed on his desk. "If it was me, I'd say they would need to be done by tomorrow since you should already know the answers, but since Mr. Mackenzie never specified a deadline, just do what you can do," Mr. Craigsworth announced as he began passing out the assignments.

All the students gave huge sighs of relief for not having to do all the work right away. Hiro leaned over next to Lily. "Hey, what part did you manage to read up to?"

Lily closed her textbook. "The Invisible Hand." She opened it again to check her notes. "I just drew a connection with it to capitalism."

Hiro looked towards Marcus. "And you?"

Marcus looked nervous. "Umm, really? Well...nothing..."

Hiro and Lily sweatdropped, just as the bell rang for second period class.

* * * * * * * *

Math went by well, and soon lunchtime had arrived. Hiro walked towards the cafeteria, wondering if he should buy something from there or not. He didn't really have a lunch today, so...

He slipped off his headset and looked up towards the menu choices. Today's special appeared to be friend rice with roasted chicken and a choice of drink, for only four dollars. _Huh, I think I can afford that, _Hiro thought as he nodded his head.

He looked down at his pants and reached into his pocket for his wallet, not realizing that he was about to bump into a student holding a bundle of papers.

"Ooof, whoa!" the other student exclaimed as they collided.

Hiro came to attention immediately to see a black-haired male student – third year from the same red stripes – on the ground, with papers everywhere. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Hiro gasped, and bent down to pick up some of the sheets. "Do you need any help?"

"No, no, I'm fine," the other boy responded. He stood back up quickly and grabbed a bundle as fast as he could. "While you're here anyway, you should take this."

He held out a sheet towards Hiro. Hiro took a closer look at the offered paper. It appeared to be another Halloween Costume Contest poster; different than the design from before, but it still looked pretty cool. The boy dusted off his shoulders and straightened his blazer. "A little bit of advertising never hurts, even in a situation like this," he remarked, as though it was wise advice. "Anyway, I have to get going. I need to hand these out to everyone more or less before the end of school."

Hiro blinked. "Al - alright. Thank you."

Without another word, the boy hastily rushed off. Hiro looks back at the poster in his hand, before he blinked. In the corner of his eye, he spotted something on the ground. He bent down again and picked up the card.

It appeared to be a school ID. The name read "John Robert", with a bespectacled black-haired boy in the ID picture. _Looks like he dropped his ID, but who is this John Robert anyway? _Hiro wondered.

Before he could think a little more about it, he remembered that he still needed to buy lunch. At that moment, Marcus approached him. "Yo, there you are!" The look in his eyes was that of somebody who clearly wanted something. "Hey, do you have extra money you can loan me out? I forgot my lunch and I'm starving."

Marcus' stomach grumbled rather loudly. Marcus pointed at it. "See, that's proof," he added.

Not even questioning Marcus, Hiro looked at his wallet. Fifteen dollars, Canadian. "Yeah, I have some extra money," Hiro simply replied.

"Aw, sweet, thank you so much for saving me, Super-Hiro, and my stomach," Marcus beamed.

Hiro couldn't help but smile back in amazement. "No problem at all, Howard-_san,_ just helping out a friend."

The two lined up right away. It was then that Marcus noticed what Hiro was holding. "Hm? Hey, one of those costume contest posters."

"Oh." Hiro held out the ID. "Yeah, this guy gave me it."

Marcus took the ID, and his eyes immediately narrowed. "Oh, pft, this guy," he groaned.

"You know him?"

The baseball-capped male handed the headset-wearing one the ID back. "A lot of people do. John Robert is one of our student council members and is pretty well-known because of it." He rolled his eyes. "He's smooth, he's smart, and he's got girls and guys looking up to him from every direction."

Hiro looked back at the ID in profound respect. "Oh, so he's popular?" Hiro assumed.

Marcus frowned. "Well, he's attracting a lot of chicks right now," he retorted. "What do you think?"

"He sounds like one of those kids back at my school." Hiro folded the poster and slipped the ID into his pocket. "I don't know why it seems you hate him."

Marcus turned towards Hiro. "He's getting all the girls, Hiro. Come on, he's not leaving room for guys like me to score!"

"But it can't be like all the girls want him."

Out of nowhere, the student in front of him started to laugh. Hiro and Marcus blinked and turned to look at the student. "What's so funny?" Marcus demanded.

The guy in front of the line smirked. "It's funny that your friend says that it can't be that all the girls like him."

Hiro raised an eyebrow, confused. "Yeah, I don't get the joke, dude," Marcus spoke for the both of them.

The guy shook his head. "The girls don't like him, they are madly in love with him," he explained to the two.

Hiro and Marcus each sweatdropped. "I mean, it's like you said - he's got brains, he's got charm..." the guy began to list.

"Aaaand that makes me hate him more."

Hiro scratched the back of his head. "Calm down, Marcus, it's not like he...umm...what's that word..." He slammed his fist into his hand. "Ah, I got it! A womanizer!"

This did not seem to encourage Marcus at all. The guy received his food from the cashier. "Ha, he might as well be once he realizes how much people adore him." With that, he walked away.

Hiro cast a curious gaze towards Marcus. "What does that mean?"

Marcus appeared to not want to answer Hiro's question as he muttered something under his breath. He approached the front of the line and placed some of Hiro's money on the counter. "Two specials, please."

Hiro just sighed, giving up momentarily as they were handed their food. The two began looking around the cafeteria, trying to locate which table Lily was seated at.

"Hey, guys!"

Both males' heads turned to see Lily sitting by the window seat, waving at them. "Seems you guys got the special," she noticed as they approached the table.

"Didn't you get anything?" Marcus asked.

Lily gestured at the Tupperware container in front of her containing salad. "I brought my own lunch, I gotta save up my money." She looked back up at Marcus coyly. "Something you should try to do," she added.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You know exactly what I mean."

Hiro's stomach began to grumble. He punched it lightly. "Can we just settled down and just eat, guys?" Hiro requested from the two, sitting across from her.

Marcus sat down next Lily. "Yeah, might as well, I'm hungry."

Lily lifted the tip of her visor coyly. "Yeah, I guess you're hungry for _something_, I can see, after ogling Ms. Gunner the whole math class."

"Hey, I resent that!" Marcus immediately shot back. He shifted his eyes. "I wasn't ogling her, I was just looking to her with admiration."

Hiro chuckled. "Does that not mean the same thing?"

Lily smirked. "Yeah, it pretty much does."

"Pfft, says you guys," was Marcus' rebuttal after eating a bit of fried rice and chicken.

Lily snickered as she dug her fork into her salad. "Don't wanna be no uptown fool..." she hummed subtly.

"Shut up, Lily."

Hiro gave a small smile as he swallowed down his food. "Looks like you should pay more attention to the actual work, Howard-_san,"_ he commented lightly.

"As should you, Hiro," a voice behind Hiro suddenly interjected.

Hiro and the group jumped in surprise to hear the voice of Kyoko behind them. "K - Kyoko! What are you – " Marcus began.

"Doing here...?" Lily finished, lowering her gaze.

Kyoko didn't seem fazed. "I was looking for Hiro about important information," she simply responded, switching the hands used to hold her lunch bag.

Hiro suddenly felt himself tense up considerably. He began to stand from his seat. "Well, we can talk about it now – "

"Or you can sit and eat with us a little longer too, I'm pretty sure it's not all that important," Lily butted in.

Hiro looked at her quickly and believed right away that he could see her glaring at Kyoko with more anger than before. Kyoko shrugged, before she took a seat next to Hiro. "Why not," the shorter-haired girl said.

He also believed right away he could see tension flare up between Lily and Kyoko. Hiro gulped and Marcus began to shrink in his seat. If someone dared to bother this, then they would have to face the wrath of women.

"...so, Hiro!" exclaimed Marcus as he cleared his throat rather loudly, picking up a bit of chicken with his fork. "What do you have third period?"

Hiro blinked. "Howard-_san,_ we are all in the same class, for the principal here is following a similar body system like Japan," he pointed out. "I caught on a while back."

Marcus blinks, chicken almost touching his lips. "We do? How do I not notice you?!" he marvelled.

Hiro shrugged. "Well, it is because you don't like English class."

Marcus scoffed. "Neither do you."

Hiro's mood suddenly became glum. "How does anybody think Shakespeare can make sense..." he mumbled.

Lily looked towards Marcus. "Marcus, don't make fun of Hiro's understanding of English!" she snapped. "It's inconsiderate!"

Marcus' mood suddenly becomes glum too. "Hey, who said I was homies with Shakespeare either..."

Both boys looked defeated and grumpy. Lily sweatdropped. Kyoko pulled out a packed lunch from her bag. "I think you two are just not able to read it well," she said.

Hiro looked at Kyoko. "Why, do you understand English?"

Kyoko pulled out a sandwich cut in triangular halves and peeled off the wrapper. "Not Shakespeare," she replied.

Marcus scoffed. "Then doesn't that make you not able to read it well?" he drawled.

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Yes, but we're not talking about me."

"Then who are we talking about?"

Kyoko took a bite of her sandwich, before she swallowed. "You and Hiro. Who else?"

Hiro winced and Marcus' face fell. "Man, Kyoko, you're so harsh..." Marcus pouted.

Lily said nothing as she continued to eat her salad.

Just as Hiro was about to take another bite of his lunch, suddenly Kyoko poked Hiro on the cheek. Hiro froze, as did Marcus and Lily, each extremely taken aback by this sudden, out-of-character gesture of Kyoko's. It was then that Kyoko leaned closer to Hiro's head and whispered, "I think you're forgetting the point as to why I'm here, Hiro."

Hiro sweatdropped. _How was poking my face necessary to remind me of that..._

Lily and Marcus exchanged looks. _Why the hell does he get all the girls..._ Marcus thought wryly.

Lily's eyes shifted back to Kyoko and Hiro. _Don't tell me they're making plans to call a hit on someone!_

Kyoko looked back at Marcus and Lily. "Is there a problem?" she said.

Lily was about to open her mouth to retort something back, but decided against it, not wanting to make a scene. Kyoko, however, tilted her head and gave a questioning "hm?", as though to challenge her. Hiro suddenly felt very uneasy.

_This atmosphere I believe just got worse..._

Lily forced a smile. She took a deep breath, about to say something, when at that moment a very loud bell went off. The students were in a frenzy as heads began to turn and groans filled the cafeteria. "What?!" Marcus groused, slamming his hand down on the table. "Oh, come on, a fire alarm in the middle of eating?!"

Hiro's eyes flew wide open as he bolted up from his seat. Lily closed the lid over her salad container and shoved it in her bag. "Looks like somebody was bored during lunch," she muttered.

"What if it _is_ a real fire, though?!" Hiro asked, still not convinced.

Kyoko also stood up, stuffing her sandwiches in her lunch bag. "Doubt it."

Hiro stared at them in complete confusion. Marcus readjusted his cap. "Usually, Super-Hiro, there's always a person that loves to pull the fire alarm for their enjoyment and this is the first one for the start of the year."

Hiro's shoulders relaxed. "Oh." He ran a hand through his hair. "We have those too."

They each grabbed their bags and immediately headed towards the doors to go outside, but not before Hiro stopped. He looked behind him, glimpsing what looks like a few staff members running towards a boy, who was attempting to run away from them.

As the boy bypassed Hiro without even glancing towards him, Hiro couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as he caught his face. His eyes and his expression...there was something strange about that look on his face. It was almost familiar, but...what was it...

Realizing that the alarm was still ringing and everybody was already outside, Hiro shook his head. _It's probably nothing, _Hiro thought as he walked towards the doors and pushed them open. _I'm getting paranoid._

* * * * * * * *

Outside of the school, the school population was busy with conversation, debate, and theories. Teachers tried to keep the students in order, but to no avail as the students chattered away and tried to find their friends amongst the people gathered outside. Some of the students were actually scared, while some of them looked irritated and confused.

"What happened?!" one voice cried.

"Ah, some wiseass probably pulled the alarm," somebody replied.

"No way, I bet the chemicals in the science labs finally screwed us over!"

"Aw, man, they _better _have not! I would be _pissed, _my laptop's in my locker!"

"I want an autograph from the firemen..."

All these voices were heard by Hiro as he stepped outside of the school. "_WHAT?!_ Did YOU pull it?!" an earlier voice barked as Hiro tried to make his way through the crowd.

"No, NO! Didn't you notice how the chicken was a little burnt?!"

"I didn't see smoke coming from the kitchen."

"I'm telling you, there's no fire."

"Great, more reason to believe how stupid some _kids_ are."

"You're in _first year,_ punk!"

"I don't care about whether there's a fire or not, I was eating!" Marcus' voice shouted.

Hiro's ears twitched, and his head looked up. Finally after walking in a crowd full of bunches of students, he could hear the voices of his friends. There were Marcus and Lily at a considerable distance away, near the flagpole. "The things you say sometimes, Marcus," Lily scoffed, looking away from him. At that moment, she saw Hiro. "Hey, Hiro!" she called, waving. "Over here."

Hiro quickly made his way past the other people towards the two. Marcus suddenly looked attentive. "Hey, where's Kyoko?" he asked.

"I don't know where – " Hiro began.

"I'm right here," Kyoko's voice answered.

Hiro and the group looked rather taken aback as they jumped and turned to see Kyoko standing right behind Hiro, yet again. Hiro quickly recovered from his shock and ignored the obvious question on his mind as he recomposed himself. "Nakamura-_chan,_ what do you think happened?" he suggested to her.

Kyoko shrugged. "I don't know. Doesn't really matter."

Marcus pulled back his wrist, rolling down his jacket sleeve to check on a black wristwatch. "Oh, damn it, and lunch is almost over too," he groused, his eyes narrowing as he pulled the sleeve back over his wrist. "By the time the fire trucks come by, we'll have to be in our T.A. rooms to get ready for classes."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Is all you think about food?" she drawled. "Why not think about homework for once?"

"Hey, food makes me full, homework makes me crazy."

Hiro shook his head at Marcus. At that moment, his stomach knotted, and Hiro realized what Marcus said about going to their teacher advisor rooms right away meant that...

_Oh, great, _Hiro thought, suddenly feeling very ill. _I really _do _have to face Mr. Mackenzie... _

As though Kyoko could read his discomfort, she shook her head. "You have to face the problems one way or another," she murmured, startling Hiro.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Problems?" he butted in. "Well, sure, if we're talking about fulfilling my appetite..."

"No, Howard-_san_, not talking about that," Hiro pointed out.

"Then what _are_ you talking about?" Lily wanted to know, fixing her visor as she turned towards him.

Hiro paused, realizing what he's done. Kyoko just folded her arms, not saying anything either. Lily's eyes seemed to darken, almost threateningly. Hiro gulped. This situation wasn't getting any better by the second. _What can I say? _"Sorry, Lily, it's about private matters," he blurted out after a while of thinking.

Lily's glare softened, but not by much. "Isn't it always lately?" she muttered under her breath. Her eyes shifted from Hiro to Kyoko, which Hiro took clear notice of.

"I still think you shouldn't be so nosy about it," Kyoko responded, without even glancing back at the other girl.

_Don't tell me they're going to argue again..._

Lily didn't appear to want to argue, though, as she just turned away to look around at the other students. "Wonder if the firemen will actually come," she said.

Marcus placed a hand over his stomach. "They better come, for I want to finish eating," he remarked rather primly.

Hiro couldn't help but smirk softly. "Howard_-san, _I believe you might have a problem."

"Well, I don't like wasting food and money!" the blonde pouted.

Lily smirked as well. "Yeah, okay there, Marcus," she scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You know exactly what I mean."

Suddenly, the bell rang. It seemed to be indicating everybody to go back inside as students began to mutter and chat loudly, filing back into lines and crowding the doors. Hiro's smile faded, and he bit his lower lip in apprehension as he heard a couple of teachers tell them to go straight to their teacher advisors.

He really didn't want to do this, even though he knows he has to. _Guess it's almost time for it to begin, _he decided as he followed the students back inside the school.

* * * * * * * *

Hiro was the first one who arrived at his T.A. room, which did not help at all to calm his nerves. He could see his T.A. classmates gathering inside, chatting with each other about the recent hubbub.

A few moments after, Mr. Mackenzie walked into the classroom. He closed the door behind him and straightened his jacket, before he looked straight at Hiro. There was a very authoritative expression on his face, which worried Hiro immediately. "Good afternoon, everyone."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Mackenzie," the class chorused.

Mackenzie readjusted his glasses before he sat down at his desk. He set his black bag down next to the desk and pulled out a laptop from it. "Alright, let's start taking attendance," the teacher announced, opening the computer. "Okay...Matt Anderson?"

"Here."

As Mr. Mackenzie continued to go down the list of names, Hiro was beginning to feel uneasy. _This is bad, _Hiro thought anxiously. _That look he gave me. He clearly knows I haven't gotten the whole issue out of my mind. _

The black-haired boy gripped his binder on the desk. _What will be Mackenzie-sensei's reaction when I tell him my choice then? _he realized. _I know he will give me a lecture for sure, but –_

"Hiro Izumi?"

Hiro suddenly gasped and bolted up from his desk, knocking it and causing his binder to fall to the ground as well as startling the two girls sitting near him. "Yes sir!" he croaked.

Mr. Mackenzie simply blinked at him, looking up from his laptop. "Hiro, you don't have to address me like you're in the army," he responded, casting an odd glance at his student.

Hiro, realizing what he'd just done, blinked back, before he flushed sheepishly. "S-sorry, Mr. Mackenzie," he apologized. He scooped up his binder and sat down quickly, just as the two girls resumed their earlier conversation.

Mr Mackenzie continued to look at him quizzically, before he looked back at his attendance. "Claretta Morados?"

_Great, I'm so shaken up I nearly made a fool of myself, _Hiro chided to himself. He pulled back the edge of his sleeve and looked down at his watch. The minute hand seemed to tick slower than it usually did. This was ridiculous. Why wasn't Mackenzie calling him up now or out of the room to talk with him? Why was he holding back if he knew...?

The bell rang for third period, causing Hiro's head to immediately snap up. Hiro gave a huge sigh of relief as everybody began to pile out. _"Thank goodness..." _he uttered, grabbing his binder and bolting up from his desk.

"Hiro, hang on." The laptop was closed, and Mr. Mackenzie looked up towards him with that same look from when he first entered the room. "I need to speak with you."

The binder hit the floor again as Hiro rigidly froze.

* * *

_**To Be Continued**_


	14. And So It Begins

_**Author Notes:**_

_KingHiro:_ _Sorry for late update, but me and my partner are kinda busy in our new school semster that it is driving us a little crazy!__  
__XinFyrrae: __Hopefully now with a new term beginning for us after this break, we can update more, so stay tuned!_

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
**__**Chapter 14: And So It Begins**_

_

* * *

_

_**October 3, 2016  
**__**Prince Royal Private High School**_

Hiro gulped as he kneeled down to grab his binder, but Mackenzie's hand beat him to it. "How have you been, Hiro?" Mr. Mackenzie asked him, now at Hiro's level. He stood up and held out Hiro's binder. "You seem pretty tense."

All Hiro could do was look up at his teacher. His mouth felt dry as he opened it, but closed it. He stood up slowly, looking away with a guilt expression. "I am very tense, sir," he murmured. He turned back to Mackenzie, not looking him in the eyes as he took back his binder. "I have been thinking a lot over the past weekend, and I am sorry."

Mr. Mackenzie shook his head. "Don't be. I think I know how you feel," Mackenzie replied. He lifted his head up towards Hiro. "Exactly how much thinking, though, have you been doing?"

It was then that Hiro met Mr. Mackenzie's gaze, and already, Hiro knew that by the way Mackenzie's eyes were looking at him that this man already knew that he had something he had to say. Hiro took a deep breath in, before he suddenly bowed. "Please forgive me, _sensei, _but I cannot just stand back and let people suffer!" he cried. His hands balled up. "I'm going to help fight!"

He didn't look up as he bowed his head lower. "I've already decided that no matter what, I am going to go into the realm of those Shadows and fight against them before they hurt other people. And I have to commit to this. I feel obliged to protect these people!" It was then that he looked back up at Mackenzie desperately. "My father was a police officer. Do you know what he told me before I never got to see him again...?"

Mackenzie looked slightly taken aback. Hiro's eyes narrowed. "'If you can do something about it, then do it.' That is what he told me." With that, Hiro stood back up, and held out his watch, right next to Mr. Mackenzie's own. "There is something in these watches that gives us the power to do something about it – the Persona. Why were we given Personas if we aren't going to use them?! Why were we _chosen _to be given Personas if destiny does not think we can deal with these things?!" Hiro shook his head. "I do not want you or Nakamura-_chan _to be the only ones that have to face this hardship. It is not just your battle!"

Still facing Mr. Mackenzie, Hiro finally let his hands drop to his sides as he stood back up straight. Self-consciously, his eyes looked towards the ground. He felt rather foolish now, but at the same time, he felt more...confident. Even if Mr. Mackenzie refused to acknowledge his decision, it didn't matter. He wasn't going to prove Kyoko right, or wrong for that matter. He wasn't going to feel like a coward.

"Alright then, fine."

Hiro's eyes flew wide open. He looked back up at Mr. Mackenzie. The older male looked rather calm and collected in contrast to how Hiro expected him to look at this moment. "Pa – pardon?" Hiro stuttered, blinking in astonishment.

"Did I hear what I think I heard...?" Hiro murmured, not realizing he was speaking out loud.

Mr. Mackenzie simply ignored this as he nodded. "I will agree with you, only because I was once in the same situation as you," the teacher responded, almost sagely.

This piqued Hiro's attention as he looked up, raising an eyebrow. Mackenzie sighed and leaned back on his desk. "A couple years back...that was sort of my reason for wanting to fight against the Shadows," he confessed. "So...well..." A small smile crossed his face. "That's all you really need to know. Just know that I understand how you feel."

Hiro looked shocked. "Wait, sir, how long have you been fighting Shadows?"

"A while. I know I've told you some things, but..." Mackenzie scratched his head, looking solemn now. "I don't really like to think back on those days."

Sensing that the topic was clearly a touchy one, Hiro gulped. "Sorry, I will not bring that up again..." he started, but Mr. Mackenzie raised a hand.

"Nah, it's fine," the teacher replied. He nodded. "I accept your decision of wanting to fight with us."

Hiro felt extremely relieved.

"But I'm not going to allow you to fight from anywhere other than behind us."

Hiro tensed up. Mr. Mackenzie readjusted his glasses as he glanced at Hiro sternly. "This is going to sound harsh, but stop trying to play the hero all the time. This isn't a game! You can't blindly rush in when you want to just because of your gut instinct, there's more to this business than that."

Hiro was even more taken aback. "Mr. Mackenzie, I know that this is not a game!" he retorted, placing his binder on his desk. "Why do I have to hold back?!"

"Because it's for your own good, Hiro," Mackenzie rebutted, intensifying his glare. "You're not as experienced as me or Kyoko. It's absolutely nonsensical and irrational for me to allow you to fight on the frontlines when you lack experience! Your best position would be to field back and be support, and let Kyoko and I handle the offense." He walked back to his desk, and picked up his bag. "Only act when you should," Mr. Mackenzie finished, placing his laptop back inside it.

As much as Hiro wanted to protest against this, something inside Hiro trusted this fact. The reason for this was that – it was a fact. Hiro was a rookie compared to Mr. Mackenzie and Kyoko, and he knew it very well.

He was about to open his mouth to question it further, but Mackenzie had already walked back up to Hiro and was holding out a small note. "For your Design Studies teacher when you get to class, he'd have probably marked you absent by now," he explained to Hiro as Hiro took the slip of paper. With that, he held open the door. "You're free to go. I'll see you around, Mr. Izumi."

Knowing that there was nothing he could do now, Hiro picked up his binder and walked out the door, his thoughts still racing through his mind.

* * * * * * * *

All throughout the rest of the day, Hiro couldn't concentrate on anything but problems surrounding Shadows and the Personas, as well as his decision and Mr. Mackenzie's own. This was a problem for him in English as he found himself staring off in empty space, only for the teacher to announce she was about to take the notes off the overhead and for Hiro to become startled as he came back to reality and frantically scribbled.

His friends seemed to notice this pretty easily, including Kyoko, who slipped him a folded and torn piece of paper on his desk after the dismissal bell rung. His attention piqued, Hiro unfolded the paper as he walked out of the room with Lily and Marcus next to him. His eyebrow immediately arched as he squinted at the sheet of paper.

ひろ. _Meet me at the gym as soon as you get your stuff. Come alone. _

_Her penmanship is terrible... _Hiro thought wryly as he blinked and held the paper out at a distance, hoping he was reading her scribbled characters right. "Nakamura-_chan _wants to meet me after school in the gym by myself," he said aloud.

Marcus was the first to speak up. "Ooooh!" he crooned, before his grin disappeared. "Damn it Hiro, you lucky bastard. Didn't know Kyoko was that kind of girl."

"Um, no, Howard-_san_, I don't think it's about that at all," Hiro quickly replied, turning slightly red.

"Then why does she want to meet after school?" Lily added.

Hiro couldn't help but notice a sudden glare and a mix of threat in her words. Marcus however ignored this as he nudged Hiro slyly. "So you gonna go, huh, huh?"

Lily roughly nudged Marcus back, who winced and looks at her with a pout. "Hey, what was that for?!" he whined.

Lily turned back to Hiro. "Well, are you going?" she repeated for Marcus.

Hiro bit his lower lip apprehensively as he shifted his eyes. _Um, just tell them the truth, or take the coward's way out and lie? _he thought. He finally refolded the note and put it back in his pocket. "I'll go. Besides, maybe she just wants to talk?"

_Doubt it. This is not a love letter, Howard-san, it's something much important._

* * * * * * * *

The school campus was almost empty of students now. Hiro, with his stuff in arms, walked into the gymnasium. The doors closed behind him slowly as he looked around. The lights were turned out and there didn't seem to be anybody there. Hiro sweatdropped. _Did I take too long to get my stuff? Wonder if she left already..._

Before Hiro could call out Kyoko's name, a voice interrupted him.

"You took your precious time," Kyoko called.

Hiro turns his head to see Kyoko standing at the far end of the gym, standing near the equipment room. The doors were open, the lights on inside it and shining against her in the distance. She began to walk towards him. "So, have you confronted Mackenzie already?" she asked. "What did he tell you?"

Hiro shrugged. "He surprisingly said it was fine," he replied.

Kyoko stopped and raised an eyebrow at Hiro, as though she didn't believe him. "What I'm saying is true Nakamura-_chan_, but he did say it with a catch," Hiro continued to explain to her.

"And that would be?"

Hiro looked away from her at the ground. "That I have to stop playing a hero and stay in the backline and not be in the frontline with you and Mr. Mackenzie," he responded.

Kyoko seemed to be thinking about this as she stood there and continued to stare at Hiro. Finally, she nodded. "Looks like he's still not confident enough in you. Which is to be expected."

With that, she turned back around and walked into the equipment room. Hiro blinked, setting down his stuff and running towards it. "Hey, what are you..." he began, only to quickly halt and cut himself off when he saw her heaving out what looked like an automatic baseball shooter. "Umm, Nakamura-_chan..._what are you doing with that..."

Kyoko ignored him as she continued to pull out the machine. Hiro began to creep against the wall, not liking where this was going. "The baseball team would probably not approve of you using such a machine outside the batting cage..." he tried to tell her.

Kyoko stopped once she has the machine opposite of Hiro. She looked back at him. "If you 're gonna fight with us, then you have to train," she stated matter-of-factly, as though this should have come as no surprise.

Every muscle in Hiro's body froze. "Wait, don't tell me the purpose of that machine is – " he croaked.

Kyoko turned on the machine. Hiro could hear it starting up. He backed up right against the wall. _"Nakamura-chan, do you have any idea how hard the impact of a baseball - ?!! "_

At that moment, a baseball fired out from the machine. Hiro yelped and immediately ducked as the ball slammed into the wall just above his head and bounced off the wall. _"Well, your reflexes are good," _Kyoko commented. She leaned against it nonchalantly. _"But it's not enough."_

Hiro gasped as his head snapped up to gawk at her. _"Are you crazy?!"_ he shot back. _"That could of injured – "_

Another baseball fired out from the machine, hitting the same spot it did before. _"ME!"_ Hiro finished, his voice cracking. He could hear his own heart pounding in his ears. _"Can't I at least use something to defend myself?!"_

"_No."_

"_Wait, what do you mean..."_

Another ball fired. Hiro sweatdropped as the ball dropped and rolled in front of him. _"Do you even have the authority to do this?! What if we get in trouble?" _he screamed.

"_Stop asking so many questions!"_ Kyoko retorted. She turned down the power and looked away from him rather disapprovingly. _"It's pathetic that you can't even face a baseball."_

Hiro suddenly tensed.

Another ball fired at the same spot, but with less power and velocity. _"The original speed and power to a Shadow's attacks is NOTHING compared to what this is," _Kyoko added rather harshly. She rolled her eyes. _"You'd be killed easily by now if you were facing a Shadow."_

Another ball was shot out. Hiro's eyes narrowed.

Before Kyoko could add anything more, he bolted up and extened his hand. The oncoming ball slammed right into his palm, in similar fashion to that of a baseball player. Kyoko was taken aback by this as she whirled to face him, stopping the machine immediately.

Hiro, now grasping the ball in his left hand, shuddered as he used his other arm to steady himself against the wall. _Damn it, this would hurt less if I had a baseball glove..._

Kyoko's raised an eyebrow. "Hiro...?" she began hesitantly.

Hiro said nothing as he stood up straight. He held up the ball, before he let it fall from his red, trembling hand. Kyoko's eyes widened.

Hiro gritted his teeth. _"Shit, this is going to leave a mark..." _he just stared at his hand, surprised. Hiro glared at her. _"You're right about all that you said," _he growled. _"But if you want me alive for dealing with that problem later, then don't try to kill me in the training sessions."_

Kyoko flinched slightly with the dark-haired boy's outburst. However, her gaze hardened again: what else to expect when someone turns on a baseball machine on and forces it upon an unsuspecting person to dodge. Hiro turned around. "Damn it, I think my left hand can't move..." he hissed.

The girl chose to say nothing as Hiro walks off towards the men's change room. Frustrated, he kicks it open.

"OWW, SHIT!"

Hiro's anger suddenly faded. "Huh?" he exclaimed. He pushed the door open, only to see...

"Oh, CRAP!" Lily shrieked, staggering back with wide eyes.

"WHAT THE _HELL?!"_ Hiro gasped as he staggered back himself, his own eyes wide now.

Marcus could also been seen now as he stumbled away from the door, clutching his nose. "Owww..." he whined.

Hiro froze as he looked at his two friends. "Howard-_san_, what are you doing behind the door?" he wondered. His eyes shifted back to his female friend. "And Nguyen-_chan, _what are you doing in the men's change room?!"

Lily gulped. "Well, uh, we're here for – " she stuttered.

"Lily's a pervert," Marcus quickly finished with a nasally restricted voice.

Lily promptly slapped the back of Marcus' head, causing him to cry out more. "Oh, _come ON!"_

Kyoko was already walking towards the change room. "Again?! Why were you two sneaking around when it should have been only Hiro here?" she snapped.

Lily now focused her glare towards the other girl. "What the hell are you thinking?!" she shot back.

"What do you mean?"

Lily stood up and stepped out of the washroom. "You saw what happened to Hiro's hand!" she snarled. "You're goddamn stupid if you think that ball can't hurt him! What exactly were you guys talking about anyway?!"

"Like I've said before, it's none of your business," Kyoko simply retorted. "Unless you can translate."

"I caught on to the general gist, don't treat me like I'm a bigger idiot than you are!"

Hiro quickly walked inside to turn on the sink. "Howard-_san,_ make sure they don't lunge at each other," he advised, placing his injured hand under running cold water.

Marcus scoffed as he lets go of his nose. "Easy for you to say, I don't want another door in my face," he muttered.

Lily turned back to Hiro. "Hiro, don't try to talk yourself out of this!" she barked.

Hiro, while still running his hand under cold water, shook his head. "I'm not intending to talk myself out of anything, but like I said before, it's private matters!" he called back.

"Hiro..."

Marcus yelped as Lily pushed him aside to walk back into the washroom. She stopped right next to Hiro, glaring at him angrily. "If you don't tell me what the hell is going on..." she whispered darkly.

"Like I said, it is private matters, it doesn't concern you guys!" Hiro argued.

Lily was about to say something until Hiro cut her off again, turning off the water. "Private matters," he repeated rather coldly. "Don't get involved in what me and Nakamura-_chan_ are doing, okay? This is the only way to – "

"Forget it," Lily interjected. She turned around and stormed off out of the washroom, brushing past Kyoko angrily. "You can't deal with your own shit the – "

At that moment, the doors to the gym could be heard opening. "What is going on here?!!" a voice echoed rather angrily.

The group turned around and poked their heads out the bathroom door to see Mr. Craigsworth, Ms. Gunner, and the school nurse. Mr. Craigsworth did not look happy as he demanded, "What are you all doing in the gym using unauthorized equipment after school hours?!"

The group froze, their brains working hard to find some excuse to save them, until Marcus hastily answered, "We were just showing Hiro what the gym looked like since he never had the chance to see it!"

Ms. Gunner blinked. "But I thought you kids already showed Mr. Izumi around the first day of his life in this school, and I did see you guys being his tour guide," she pointed out.

Marcus gulped, beginning to panic. Lily looked ready to face the music. Kyoko looked indifferent. Hiro, realizing they were in trouble now, struggled to find an excuse. What should he tell them...?

Finally, he blurted out, "We apologize! We're concerned about our personal health and state for the baseball team, so...we came here to practice so we would have chances to be on the team!"

The group now looked at Hiro, thinking about what he just said. Marcus caught on and added in, "Hiro's mistaken, sir and miss! We aren't practicing for the baseball team, we're actually training Hiro for it!"

Mr. Craigsworth does not look convinced at all, nor did the school nurse. Mr. Craigsworth opened his mouth to speak, but Ms. Gunner cut him off. "Well, that seems like a reasonable excuse."

Everyone including Mr. Craigsworth and the nurse turned to her with wide eyes. "Ms. Gunner, not even Mrs. Delgado is convinced! Are you to believe this farfetched story?!" he gasped.

Ms. Gunner shrugged. She turns back to Hiro and his gang. "Baseball season does not start until next semester, though, but I like how you guys want to start early." She smiled, brushing a strand of short hair away from her face. "I'm friends with the baseball coach teaching, and I hope to see you and everyone else on the team with your amount of dedication, hm?"

The group's eyes widened at what just happened. Hiro sweatdropped. "Uhm...th - thank you, miss," he responded.

Just as soon as the words left his mouth, the pain surging from his left hand began to throb and remind Hiro that it was still there. Hiro gritted his teeth as he gripped his hand immediately. _"Shit,"_ he hissed.

The nurse looked up in horror. "Oh, dear! What happened to your hand, young man?!" Mrs. Delgado gasped.

"It..." Hiro shifted his eyes. "Got hit by the door."

Marcus shot him a "oh, REALLY NOW?" look. "Well, let's see if there's something we can do about it," Mrs. Delgado said. "Come with me."

Hiro nodded before he followed her out of the gym doors. The group that was left stared at Hiro leaving for the clinic and turned back to face Mr. Craigsworth and Ms. Gunner. Mr. Craigsworth narrowed his eyes. "As I said, I will only deal with this occurring once and only once, which means it should never happen again," he threatened. "If you are helping each other train to be on the baseball team, do it when it is authorized, otherwise no one is allowed to stay after school in the gym."

Everyone exchanges looked, before they turned back to him and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Mr. Craigsworth lifted his head. "You are dismissed then."

The two teachers began to escort the group out of the school. Lily and Marcus walked together, Kyoko at a distance away. Lily cast one more look at Kyoko, who didn't even glance back towards her. The longer-haired girl looked back forward, very irritated.

_Be like that then, _Lily thought bitterly, trying to swallow a lump in her throat._ I'm gonna get to the bottom of this somehow._

* * * * * * * *

The clouds began to cover the darkening skies. Kyoko finished stuffing her Math textbook in her bag as she walked towards the bus stop. _It appears that I may have to train him differently._ She blinked, then shouldered her bag and walked faster as she sees the bus approaching. _Time to come up with how then._

As Kyoko stepped on the bus, though, she couldn't help but feel something deep inside her stomach...do something. It was unexplainable and it didn't feel all too good. Kyoko just shook her head as she dropped her ticket inside the fee box and walked to a seat. She should have finished her lunch.

* * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, at the school clinic, Mrs. Delgado finished applying a cooling gel to Hiro's hand. She picked up a roll of bandages. "It's not sprained, but it will be sore for awhile, so I would advise you not to strain your hand with too much activity," she prescribed.

Hiro lowered his head. _Hopefully, nothing will happen,_ he wished. "Thank you, Mrs. Delgado," he replied with a small smile.

Mrs. Delgado smiled back. "Don't mention it, I _am_ the school nurse." She stood up from her chair. "Anyway, Hiro, I called your aunt a while ago to tell her about what happened so she could pick you up."

A sweatdrop formed on Hiro's forehead. "Uhm, no no no, I think I am fine walking since it wasn't my feet hurt!" he began to protest. "I don't think that was necessa – "

As though on cue, Luna suddenly bust through the door of the clinic, looking ready to kill somebody. "Alright, Mrs. Delgado, who touched him?!" she practically roared, slamming the door shut behind her. "I will BEAT THEM to a PULP!"

Hiro's eyes widened as he backed against the wall. _Oh, crap, I knew this would happen._ "Hey, auntie – " he started meekly.

"Hi NOTHING!" Luna seethed. She grabbed him by the collar, much to Mrs. Delgado's dislike and concern as the nurse sweatdropped. "WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!"

_Even though Nakamura-chan probably doesn't care, she owes me BIG for this._

"Luna, dear, he's going to be okay, he simply got hit by a door!" Mrs. Delgado tried to speak up.

Luna grabbed Hiro's hand and held it up. "Does that look like it was simply hit by a door?" she uttered lowly.

"Honestly, no, I'm not that dense," Mrs. Delgado confessed. "But whatever it was, I'm sure it wasn't intentional."

Hiro's face fell, his fears confirmed as his door excuse was nullified. Luna just glared ahead in thin air, before she took a deep breath in and sighed. "Well, as long as you take it easy," she finally said to her nephew. "You've been here for less than a month. Be more careful."

Hiro nodded. "Yes, auntie, I know."

Luna's face softened. "Alright, let's go home." She opened the door. "Thanks again, Mrs. Delgado."

Hiro bowed. "Yes, thank you once again."

Mrs. Delgado smiled once more. "As I said, anytime, have a good day!" she bid them.

As Hiro and Luna walked back towards the gym to grab his stuff, then towards the entrance of the building, Hiro spotted Lily walking down a corridor with her stuff. Luna looks up, noticing her. "Oh, Lily!" she called. She waved towards the girl. "Would you like a ride with us?"

Lily stopped, startled momentarily as she looked up at the two, before she shook her head, looking away from Hiro. "Nah, I'm going to take the bus," she replied. "Thanks anyway."

"Are you sure? I could give you a ride for we are close by."

Once again Lily stopped, nearly out the door. She turned to look back at them, almost struggling. Hiro couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He knew Lily was mad at him, but...

Unexpectedly, Lily suddenly smiled, although her eyes did not as she walked back towards Luna and Hiro. "Well, okay, if you insist, Mrs. Johnson!"

Luna beamed. "Excellent!" she grinned. She took out her keys and began walking towards the door. "Oh, by the way, Hiro, you'll have to sit at the back. I just picked up a bunch of groceries and they're sitting in shotgun."

Hiro's eyes widened. _I think I'm really about to understand this whole 'wrath of women' thing very soon... _he thought nervously.

Lily said nothing as she followed Luna. Hiro gulped, before he followed closely behind.

* * * * * * * *

_**October 3, 2016  
**__**Downtown Calgary**_

The ride back towards home didn't help any. Hiro was now in the car right beside Lily: a girl that he believed wanted to kill him. _You can cut through the tension with a knife, _he thought wryly. He looked out the window. _Are we almost there...?_

"Damn traffic," Luna muttered from the front as the car moved forward slowly.

Hiro sweatdropped. _Guess not..._

Lily muttered something under her breath right beside him. A gut feeling told Hiro it was about him. _Should I say something?_ Hiro wondered, shifting his eyes to look at her from the window's reflection._ If so, should it be a joke, or should I get to the point, or just ask her what's wrong? Or should I just keep quiet..._

"Hiro..."

Hiro froze. He turned to look at her. "Yes, Nguyen-_chan?" _he whispered back.

"Why are you hanging around with Kyoko?"

Hiro was hesitant on how he should answer this. Finally, he turned fully towards her. "I know it is not my business, but you and Nakamura-_chan_ used to be able to talk to each other fine without having to fight," he murmured.

Lily turned sharply towards him. "That's because I had no idea what motives she had until now, and they don't sound like good ones," she defended. Her face suddenly switched from angry to more...lonely? "How bad is it that you have to hide it from us? Seriously."

Hiro now felt the pang of guilt in his stomach grow stronger. Lily, trying to contain herself and not get the attention of Hiro's aunt, asked softly, "Don't you trust your friends?"

At that moment, a Japanese boy with bleached hair suddenly replaced her. Hiro's eyes widened as the boy smirked.

"_Izumi-kun, come on now..." _he chuckled._ "Don't you trust your friends...?"_

"_No, get away from me!" _Hiro suddenly gasped as he recoiled from her.

Lily froze up at this, not understanding what he said - but understanding enough body language to know what he feels. She bit her lower lip, her eyes narrowing furiously. "I guess that's my answer, huh?" she hissed.

Hiro's eyes widened in horror. "I'm sorry, Nguyen-_chan, _please, I didn't mean it!" he blurted out, only to realize at that moment how that could have been taken.

She immediately looked away from him harshly. "Whatever," her voice seethed. "Talk to me some other time, when you're ready to trust me. Because right now, I don't trust you."

Hiro could feel his heart sink. His eyes looked down on the ground as the car drove, staring at the pavement passing by as if he had lost his very soul.

* * * * * * * *

_**October 3, 2016  
**__**Red Oak Circle **_

Finally, Luna arrived back in their neighbourhood. Lily opened her door right away. "Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Nguyen," she said. "See you around!"

Luna, getting out of the car, smiled warmly back at her. "Not a problem, Lily, have a good day!" She looked inside, still grinning. "C'mon, Hiro, say goodbye to your friend."

Hiro just looked towards her direction glumly. Lily didn't even seem to want to look at him. Luna's smile vanished, before she cleared her throat. "Orrrr you can help me bring groceries inside."

"Alright, auntie."

As Hiro got out of the car, Lily chose this time to walk back to her house, not even turning her back. Hiro watches her go, before he groaned and slammed his hand on the door - his injured hand. He seethed and pulled it back sharply, gripping it while Luna grabbed most of the bags. Luna looked concerned. _"Oi, you okay?" _she asked._ "You look like you had a pretty bad day."_

"_More than you know, aunt," _Hiro responded.

Luna looked at him sympathetically, before she slid some bags on her arms and placed a hand on his shoulder. _"Ai and Akira are going to help me make cookies." _She smiled again._ "Want to help?"_

"_Sorry, auntie, no thanks." _Hiro looked back at his hand._ "I'm a little disadvantaged right now."_

"_You sure you're okay?"_

Hiro shook his head and forced a wry smile, not wanting to talk about this anymore. Luna finally sighed. _"Don't stress yourself about this stuff too early, then - you've still got school to focus on," _she advised.

_That's where all my stress is coming from, though..._

Hiro watched his aunt go inside the house carrying the groceries, before he followed her inside. He looked towards the living room to see Ai and Akira sitting down in front of the TV watching a cartoon. "Look who I got from the school clinic," Luna announced.

Immediately Ai and Akira bolted up from the couch to run towards Hiro, Ai clinging to his legs and Akira standing a distance away as he ranted at Hiro. _"Onii-chan, what the heck happened to you?!" _he shouted._ "Did somebody beat you up?!"_

"_Is onii-chan alright?!" _Ai cried.

"_Who's the dumbass that did this?!! I'll make sure he pays!"_

"_Oi, Akira, watch your language!" _Luna scolded.

"_But they hurt onii-chan!" _Akira argued back poutingly.

Hiro sweatdropped. "_Guys, I'm fine, I'm fine!" _he reassured them._ "Nobody hurt me, it's fine."_

Ai, still clinging on her older brother's leg, looked up at him in disbelief. "You're lying, _onii-chan!"_ she squeaked. "Someone hurted you"

Hiro's sweatdropped deepened. "_Ai, nobody hurt me, and even if they did, it wasn't intentional," _he explained once again.

"_Are you sure, onii-chan...?"_

Hiro nodded. "_Yes, you don't have to worry so much."_

Slightly convinced, Ai began to let go of Hiro's leg. "So!" Luna interrupted, and held up the grocery bags. "Let's get started on those cookies, hm?"

Ai and Akira now looked away from their older brother and now to their aunt to exclaim, "Yay!" and headed towards the kitchen. As Luna, Ai and Akira did that, Hiro decided to go upstairs to his room. He opened his door, threw his bag and books on one side of the bed, before he collapsed on his back on the other, letting out a deep sigh. _Just great... _he thought. _I just lost one of my friends and my hand is going to hurt for a while..._

After a moment of staring up at the ceiling, Hiro finally sat up and grabbed his books, opening them and attempting to read through them, but to no luck as he found himself not able to concentrate at all. _Damn it. _He sighed. _My conscience has just taken over me. I'm trying to protect them and not get them involved. Why is this so difficult?_

There was a knock at the door. Hiro looked up to see it open slightly as Ai poked her head in, holding a cookie in her hand. _"Onii-chan?"_

Hiro's looked up from his books._"What is it, Ai?"_

Ai fully opened the door and walked in, holding out the cookie towards him. _"We made it with coloured chocolate candies and marshmallows because aunt thought it would be better than chocolate chip," _she told him.

Hiro raised an eyebrow. _"Is that cookie for me or are you showing it off as a success of baking it?"_ he teased.

His younger sister flinched slightly, biting her lower lip at that comment. _"Dummy, of course it's for you!"_ Ai snapped.

Hiro smiled at this comment. _"Really? Then thank you for this cookie."_

Ai still pouted as Hiro took it, but her face softened as she watches Hiro chew it contemplatively. _"Well?"_ she asked.

"Hrm?" Hiro asked in mid-chew.

"_Is it good?"_

Hiro swallowed. _"Yeah, it tastes really good,"_ he remarked. _"Nice work, Ai."_

Ai beamed happily as all trace of discomfort washed away from her face. _"Yay! I finally learned how to bake, of course with the help with Auntie Luna!" _she boasted.

Hiro chuckled as he watches Ai run back downstairs, shouting about how he liked her cookies.

He stood up to sit down at his computer and turned the monitor on. At that moment, he notices that he had email. He checked his browser, only to see it from "naka-chan".

Kyoko.

Hiro blinked, a little taken aback. _What does she want... _he wondered uneasily.

Stuffing the rest of the cookie that Ai gave him into his mouth, he opened the email and began to read. The email was in English instead of Japanese, which Hiro silently thanked since she wasn't good at writing in Japanese anyway.

_Hiro, how is your hand? – Kyoko_

His eyebrow raised. _Wait, NOW she asks about my hand?_

A little confused now, Hiro's cursor moves to the "Reply" button. He began typing slowly and uncertainly:

_Hi, Nakamura-chan. Thank you for asking. It is going to be fine. Why do you ask?_

He hit Send, before he opened up his Social homework and his textbook. Just as he was about to type in an answer on his electronic worksheet, he received an immediate response back. Hiro reopened his email and clicked on Kyoko's response in surprise again.

_I'm checking up on your condition. It is important for you to be alright so that in the near future, you are ready to step into action if necessary._

Hiro gave another sigh. _Yup, that makes sense, just checking up on me like teammates and not friends._

Something suddenly hit him mentally. He sat up and typed a quick response back to Kyoko.

_You make it sound like you may have something planned for me. What is going on?_

Kyoko's response was just as quick. And, unfortunately, in Japanese.

_We may have to go to the Data Realm sometime this week to fight off a Shadow. You better be ready._

Hiro was taken aback. _Wait, we have to fight?! Tell me I'm reading this right._

A popup suddenly appeared, but this time, it was a Messenger add, not an email.

It' was from Kyoko's email. Clicking on it, Hiro saw two buttons: Accept or Reject. A sweatdrop instantly formed on Hiro's head. He wasn't too sure if he was comfortable giving out his Instant Messaging address to Kyoko, however...

_It is important after all, _Hiro decided, and moved his cursor towards Accept and clicked.

A window immediately popped up with more bad Japanese, a default JackFrost icon and the username "naka-chan".

_Naka-chan: Hiro, you there???_

_BlitzKing: Yeah Im here Nakamura-chan_

_naka-chan: Good. Because if your condition is okay, we will go to the Data Room tonight and investigate for clues._

Hiro blinked in surprise.

_BlitzKing: were doing it right now?_

_naka-chan: Of course not. At midnight we shall. You know how to access the Data Room, right?_

Hiro now paused. The only time he got access to the Data Room was when that bloody hand in the school's computer came out of nowhere and dragged him in.

_BlitzKing: no i don't know how to get in there_

_naka-chan: So as long as you have your computer open to the website or video, you can walk through the screen and into the Data Room._

Hiro froze, trying to wrap his mind around what she just typed.

_BlitzKing: wait, wait what did you just say_

_naka-chan: Read it again._

_BlitzKing: i know what you typed!! but are you LITERALLY saying that i can just walk INTO my screen monitor and into another world!!!!_

_naka-chan: Yes._

Hiro couldn't help but stare off at his screen in dumbfounded shock, until Kyoko typed:

_naka-chan:_ _Well??_

_BlitzKing: well what? if i just put my hand in this monitor i will be in the data room?_

_naka-chan: Your hand will be. I don't see how this is a hard thing to understand._

_BlitzKing:_ _okay, i will just test that theory_

Hiro pulled back his hand, ready to throw his hand into the monitor, before Kyoko quickly messaged him:

_naka-chan:_ _Do it when it's midnight, idiot!! It won't work otherwise!_

Hiro thankfully stopped his hand before it encountered his monitor. _I could have broken my other hand...or my monitor... _he thought with a sweatdrop.

_BlitzKing: okay i will believe u at least once so what is the objective_

_naka-chan: From Monday to Thursdays, areas in the Data Room usually have clues of who the next victim will be. They're not easy to find, though, or figure out for that matter. _

_Fridays through Sundays though, unless they're doing a live victim kill, they show more obvious, important clues. _

_The problem with this is that that's usually around when the victim faces their game over._

_BlitzKing:_ _their gameover? Do you mean their self?_

_naka-chan: Sure, since most of these people don't have half the brains to accept that a Shadow is themselves._

_BlitzKing: isn't that a little harsh_

_naka-chan: It's also fact. Anyway, pay attention to the live video stream around midnight. You should see a blurred image of a room, and somebody in it. That is when you enter the Data Room._

_BlitzKing: okay okay I get it, so when are we doing this again?_

_naka-chan: Midnight!! Remember it and come prepared._

_BlitzKing: okay I will come prepared_

With that, Kyoko logged off. Hiro groaned and looked at the clock to see that it was already 9:00 PM. _Wow...time really does pass by too quickly for you to notice sometimes, _he looked at his own watch, before he looked back at the monitor. _"Only 3 hours left...might as go ahead in some of my homework before going in."

* * *

_

_**To Be Continued**_

_Remember to review our work and please give us your honest opinion of how story is going, what we could improve, that kind of stuff. We thank you for that and see you nice time for our next chapter!_


	15. The Data Room

_**Disclaimer:**_ _The original "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona" series as well as any other mentions of copyrighted material is not ours, and is copyrighted and owned by Atlus and/or their rightful owners. All material in this work that is not our own is borrowed for fair use and entertainment purposes._

* * *

_**Persona X  
**__**Chapter 15: The Data Room **_

* * *

_**October 3, 2016  
**__**The Johnson Residence**_

Time passed as Hiro continued working on his homework, waiting for midnight rather anxiously. He was about to properly answer one of his Social questions when he realized the time already was 11:50 PM. A message popped up from Kyoko, who was back online.

_naka-chan: Are you ready?_

_BlitzKing: just wait need to grab a few things first_

_naka-chan: Well, be quick. We need to get going._

Hiro sighed as he stood up. _She could have said 'please hurry up',_ he thought to himself as he opened his closet. He threw his school uniform back on, snapped his watch back on his wrist, and placed his headset back around his neck. Now sure he was ready, Hiro began to type back to Kyoko.

_BlitzKing: I'm ready to go now_

_naka-chan: Alright. Then walk into the screen monitor and I will meet you there. Remember, you have to be on the website of the video stream. Make sure it's the dungeon!_

_BlitzKing: okay I got it_

Hiro began to type the URL on his browser, until he remembered something. He gulped and asked Kyoko a question he knew he might regret.

_BlitzKing: umm, Nakamura-chan sorry for saying this...but what was the website?_

There was a very awkward pause.

A link was sent abruptly. The characters for "idiot" popped up from Kyoko's account as it went offline. Hiro sweatdropped. _Thanks..._ he clicked open the website to see the video stream. He squinted at the room.

_BlitzKing:_ _yeah I see the room but I forgot what was I supposed to again_

Kyoko didn't reply, making Hiro realize she must have logged off for real this time. He gritted his teeth in irritation, before he remembered from Kyoko's conversation earlier that he was supposed to hold up his watch over the screen. Hiro held up his wrist to the monitor. The watch begins to faintly pulse. _This isn't like Digimon at all... _he thought wryly as he stood idly and waited. Hiro held this position for awhile until he felt like he wanted to give up.

_I think I'm doing something wrong..._

He sighed and rested his hand on the monitor. At that moment when his fingers make contact with his screen...

Or rather _were _supposed to make contact with his screen. Hiro's instantly looked back at his hand, which was literally inside his monitor.

"What the hell?!" Hiro cried, his eyes flying wide open.

Suddenly, a hand snatched his wrist. Hiro's heart nearly stopped beating, but quickly a voice snapped, "You're three minutes late!"

With that the hand pulled him in. Hiro gave a scream as he found himself tumbling into his monitor.

_**October 4, 2016  
**__**The Data Room**_

Hiro, now recovering after passing into the new world, hastily opened his eyes and gasped. He paused as he began to look to his left and right, observing his surroundings. What looked like streams of binary and numbers flowed past him in various speeds of fast and slow, as well as faint image reels, some animated and some still. He could hear several types of languages being faintly spoken - English, Japanese, French, almost every single one. _Where am I? _Hiro wondered in awe as he blinked.

Hiro looked down to check how the floor appeared, only to see Kyoko right below him, wearing sunglasses from that one time from Rise n' Shine, as well as the same black sweater and white vest, skirt, and boots from before. Hiro's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets.

Kyoko did not look amused. "How hard is it for you to just walk into your PC?" she drawled. "Seriously!"

Hiro stammered incoherently as his face began to redden. "I - I'm sorry, how was I supposed to get it to work?!" he protested.

The girl just shoved him off as she stood back up and dusted herself off. "I told you just to walk right in, remember?" she told him, fixing an accessory belt. "So as long as you had the video or website open, anyone can do it." She took out her slingshot and looked around the room. "It won't be easy to find things in here."

Hiro just blinked again as he sat up and stared at the room again, before he realized something very crucial. He scrambled to check his pockets.

"...uh, Nakamura-_chan_...?"

Kyoko didn't even look at him. "Yes?"

Hiro shifted his eyes. "I...forgot the screwdrivers..."

Kyoko looked extremely disbelieved at this. She shot Hiro a very heavy glare. _"Baka," _she uttered darkly.

Hiro sweatdropped. _"Sorry, this is my first time doing this..."_ he tried to argue.

Kyoko folded her arms. _"Well, you've technically BEEN to this area once, shouldn't that be enough?"_ she pointed out.

Hiro attempted to ignore this as he continued to look around. "Will we need our weapons anyway?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "Well...that's not good..." he muttered.

Kyoko shook her head in exasperation. She unfolded her arms and looked around the room.  
"Maybe there's something in here that can help you..." she murmured. She began walking towards a narrowed hall-way type path, then bent down to pick up two drumsticks.

Hiro walked over to where she is and spotted them. "Drum sticks?" he observed. "I wonder what that means about the victim..."

Kyoko shrugged, before she grabbed Hiro's hand again and pushed the instrumental tools into his palm. "They're yours for now."

Hiro looked absolutely flabbergasted. "You want me to use DRUMSTICKS now?! The screwdrivers were a better idea than this!" he argued.

"Well, do you want to fight empty-handed or will you stop complaining and take it?" Kyoko shot back. "It's your fault for forgetting the screwdrivers."

_And paid for them with my own money..._Hiro gave up as he took the drumsticks and spun them in his hands, keeping his guard warily as Kyoko continued to inspect the realm they were. "This is freaky..." Hiro said to nobody in particular, following closely behind her as they continued down the path.

**October 4, 2016  
????**

The pathway lead Hiro and Kyoko into a room that Hiro immediately recognized from the video link Kyoko sent him. It looks the exact same quality as before: blurred and pixelated. Hiro's eyebrows furrowed. "What the..."

Kyoko looked at him questioningly. Hiro continued to observe the room as best as he could. "I saw a person in here before I walked in...I couldn't see who he or she was though because it was very unclear." He glanced towards her. "Where is that person?"

"What do you mean by that, Hiro? Did you see the person from your computer screen when entering this room?" she wondered.

Hiro nodded. "But, why aren't they here now...?"

Kyoko readjusted her glasses. "They should be, but sometimes when I come here to investigate, they're not around..." she began.

"I see..."

Hiro and Kyoko walked down this blurry hallway, both wondering where it would take them, or what clues they would find to stop the victim from getting killed on The Wake of Dawn.

Suddenly, a scream emitted from the distance. Hiro jumped. "What was that?!" he exclaimed.

Kyoko yanked out her slingshot. "We're about to find out. Come on!"

Hiro and Kyoko started running down the hallway, stopping right at a door. It looked perfectly normal, but stood out in their current environment like a sore thumb. "It came behind this door, I'm sure of it," Hiro told Kyoko.

The voice screamed again, more loudly and clearly from the door. Hiro was the first to act as his hand grabbed the doorknob. "Wait, Hiro - !" Kyoko cried, but not early enough.

A shadowy hand suddenly grabbed him by the collar. Hiro's eyes flew wide open as he found himself being pulled it. Kyoko reacted instantly, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him back sharply. The hand immediately let go, and the door slammed shut as Hiro and Kyoko fell to the floor with a shout.

"You're REALLY an idiot!" Kyoko barked.

"I'm sorry, how was I supposed to know a hand will come out of nowhere and grab me?!" Hiro groaned.

Kyoko pushed the boy off again and sat up. She picked up her slingshot next to her. "You have to be prepared for anything in here," she scolded. "This place can be very deceiving."

"Yeah, I know, my bad." Hiro picked up the drum sticks and, following her advice, got ready to be prepared for anything in this strange place. He cast his eyes warily back at the door that almost pulled him back inside.

The door suddenly shuddered.

That wasn't a good sign.

"_Shit!" _Hiro cried as he leapt back.

"_Get back!"_ Kyoko ordered, and spun her belt to the side, revealing a small pouch.

The door burst open, and a large, black creature began to emerge from it, howling menacingly at Hiro and Kyoko. Kyoko swiftly yanked out a small, round object from the pouch and pulled back her slingshot right away, firing the orb straight at its eye. It was enough to stun the creature, but not enough to allow it to stay put and come completely out. Hiro took another step backwards and raised his drumsticks. "Shit..." he cursed again.

The monster began creeping forward. Kyoko opened her belt's pouch again and pulled out another small round orb. "I hate using these," she muttered. This time, she pressed a button on it, and Hiro watches as a red blinking light appeared on the projectile. Kyoko fired it again at the Shadow, and on impact the small orb exploded.

"What the hell did you fire at it, Nakamura-_chan_?!" Hiro practically demanded, absolutely bewildered where she was getting all these high-tech weapons.

She simply took out another one. "Explosives," she responded, before she fired it again.

The monster backed away after the second explosion, lowering its head and slitting its glowing eyes rather dangerously. Hiro noticed the gesture. "It looks like it's just getting angrier though..." he brought up, clutching the drumsticks tightly.

Kyoko was about to fire another projectile, until the creature suddenly reared back and screamed again in a completely different manner from before. Kyoko and Hiro stopped in place and instantly covered their ears from the massive, pitched noise it made. _"Agh, my ears!" _Hiro seethed.

"_Shimatta!" _Kyoko cursed, nearly dropping her slingshot and the small bomb in her hands.

Hiro and Kyoko were rendered helpless as they continued to shield their hearing from the Shadow's scream. It only seemed to get louder...or duplicated rather. Hiro could swear now that it sounded like there were more of them screaming. Still covering his ears, the black-haired male looked up at where the creature stood, only to see that there were two more of these things right beside it screaming at the same time. "Wait, the screaming was actually a call for help!" Hiro shouted.

With heavy sarcasm in her voice, Kyoko shouted back, "Yeah, you think, thanks for stating the obvious!"

_Okay, okay, don't want to even ask. _

The creatures' shrieks halted. "Nakamura-_chan,_ can you scan the monster?!" Hiro asked.

Kyoko didn't even hesitate as her watch began to glow, but just as she was about to pull the stopper, one of them suddenly charged towards her direction. "Nakamura-_chan!" _Hiro exclaimed in horror, and was about to react quickly to defend Kyoko, when suddenly, he remembered exactly what Mackenzie said.

"_This isn't a game! You can't blindly rush in when you want to just because of your gut instinct, there's more to this business than that."_

Hiro froze rigid, completely at a loss of what to do. Kyoko, however, managed to see the monster coming on time. She threw herself to the side just as the monster leapt towards her. Rolling on the ground, she quickly yanked the stopper.

A blue aura engulfed her, and Selene immediately emerged in a burst of light and particles. Hiro couldn't help but admire the strange, alien-like mystique again of the chained guardian. The Persona's eyes and various markings glowed brightly in the direction of the monster, illuminating the fog it generated around it, before it vanished as Kyoko got back up and quickly ran next to Hiro. "I - I'm sorry, are you – " Hiro started.

"I'm fine," Kyoko interjected.

Hiro was about to say more, but he decided not to as he swallowed whatever uncertainty he had and turned back to the creature. "What did you find out?" he questioned.

"They're just normal Shadows," Kyoko replied. "Piece of cake."

Hiro looked dumbfounded. "Wait, _what?!" _he retorted, whipping his head back at Kyoko.

She simply rolled her eyes at him, as though this should have been obvious, before she looked back to the Shadows. "Just take them down like you normally would."

"Yeah, but...I don't NORMALLY take down Shadows!"

Kyoko's expression suddenly hardened. "Fine, then," she remarked. "Sit back and watch me do it then, rookie."

Hiro flinched. _Geez, 'rookie' seems a little harsh,_ he thought, closing his mouth wryly.

With that, Kyoko stepped forward and crossed her arm in front of her face, before her fingers pulled on the watch's stopper. "Persona!" she commanded.

She pushed the stopper back in, and Selene appeared once again in the same manner as before. The alien-like Persona spun once and used one of her crescent blade arms to slash the left-flanking Shadow, causing it to screech as it began to dissolve away. Kyoko stepped back rather calmly as Selene returned to her watch in a stream of light. "Your turn," she said, rather smugly.

Hiro gulped. _One-hit KO. _"Fine," he rebutted, and took one step forward. He pulled on the stopper of his watch. Immediately, Hiro felt that foreign yet familiar energy surging through his body, possessing the subconscious of his mind. A reddish glow surrounded him, and the clock on his watch pulsated anxiously. Hiro threw back his arm before he brought it back forward, outstretched, and placed his thumb back over the stopper. "PER – "

At that moment the right-flanking Shadow screeched and lunged towards him. All traces of collectiveness and empowerment completely faded away as Hiro's eyes widened. "Sona?!" he croaked, before he screamed and fell on his back as he pushed the stopper in rapidly, hurriedly backing away as Helios immediately ejected from his watch and slashed through the incoming Shadow. The monster was eradicated instantly, and Helios vanished just as quickly.

Kyoko clapped very, very slowly. "Well, at least you didn't die, rookie," she congratulated dryly.

Hiro sweatdropped. _I can't even tell if she's giving any words of encouragement or discouragement, and if they're honest,_ he wondered.

The last Shadow suddenly shuddered, beginning to pulsate in a dull, purplish illumination. Kyoko pocketed her slingshot. "Tarakuja as you may have observed from your Shadow's battle is an ability where you can charge up your attack power," she explained. "That's just what it did."

Hiro scrambled back up, grabbing the drumsticks and getting ready for impact, but Kyoko stepped in front of him. "No worries though." With that, she pulled her watch's stopper and pushed it back in. "Twin Shot!"

Selene appeared again. The Persona pulled back an arm and stretched the other one forward in archer fashion. Two beams of light were shot directly towards the Shadow. One missed, but the other hit it dead on at its shoulder, causing the Shadow to scream and writhe around angrily. Kyoko clicks her tongue as her Persona vanished. "Shit, I'd thought it'd die for sure," she murmured.

Hiro's eyes suddenly became more focused as he remembered something from his previous battle. _"Don't worry, I think I can finish it off," _he told Kyoko. He followed suit as he pulled his watch's stopper, but this time, he pumped his arm in the air. The watch practically shone as Hiro suddenly called out, "Agi!"

The watch's glow shattered, and once again, Helios appeared above Hiro. The armoured, golden Persona looked magnificent, his sash billowing and the anklets and shackles around his limbs and various body parts spinning slowly. Helios' wings suddenly flared more intensely, and he raised a bladed, flaming arm straight into the air.

The fire suddenly shot straight towards the Shadow, causing massive damage on impact. The flames engulfed the Shadow right away, burning it into oblivion as it shrieked helplessly until no more remains of it was left. Hiro couldn't help but smile triumphantly. _How's that for a rookie? _he thought as he cast a glance back to Kyoko, who look only mildly surprised.

As the flames died down, however, three more faint figures became visible. Hiro was taken aback. "What?!" he gasped. "I thought we killed them..."

Kyoko was not expecting this either, but she acted right away, pulling out her slingshot again. She quickly pulled out three explosives and fired them in succession at the figures, hoping to damage.

Instead, both of them heard a _click_ after her released projectiles. In that instant, Kyoko's bombs suddenly flew back towards her. Kyoko had no time to react as two just barely missed but one nearly hit dead on, colliding right near her. The impact sent her flying back with a help, searing her vest in the process.

"_Kyoko!" _Hiro cried. He bolted towards her, nearly tripping as he stepped on her knocked-off sunglasses. _"Ky - Nakamura-chan! Are you okay?!" _

He felt hesitant, wondering if she would comment on him using her first name, but instead Kyoko gritted her teeth as she propped herself up on one knee, pulling the stopper of her watch. _"What are these things...?" _she uttered.

Selene appeared on the field and began to scan them again, but not before the shadowy figures suddenly snapped their fingers. A burst of smoke occurred, with the quantities much more than before. Hiro and Kyoko coughed as the heavy smoke clouded the room again. They stood up to get ready to fight as the smoke began to clear, but the figures had already disappeared. "They're gone," Hiro stated, furthering his confusion, before he remembered shortly that Kyoko was injured.

The girl shook her head. "I couldn't get a mental picture of what they look like, but only got their name after using my Persona," she briefed. "The only problem is what they look like and what they are weak against. I only got their name, for these Shadows seem unique than others I've fought before."

"And what is their names then?" Hiro wondered.

"The Mirror Sisters."

Hiro blinked. "The Mirror Sisters," he echoed. "That kind of makes sense of how your attack reflected back, I guess."

Kyoko nodded. "Yes, but other than that I – " she started, stepping forward, but was cut off short and gave a loud groan as she collapsed, holding herself up with one knee. _"Kuso!"_

Sitting back on the floor, Kyoko clutched her left ankle. Hiro immediately bent down to look at it, noting how it looked slightly off. "Nakamura-_chan,_ I think you may have sprained it..." he observed. He looked back up at her, irritated but more concerned than anything. "See, I told you that you were not fine with that blast!"

Kyoko ignored his glare. "Whatever, it should be fine once we get back..." she began, but Hiro ignored her as he pulled and pushed his watch's stopper. Helios appeared before them and began glowing softly in light, as did Kyoko. Her seared vest began restoring itself back to normal, her sunglasses Hiro had stepped on earlier repaired itself almost magically, and her hand clutching her ankle relaxed, the pain from it fading away. Hiro also glowed in the same aura, but he did not feel the same effect he had from the first time this happened.

The glow died down. Kyoko just stared at her healed ankle, blinking vaguely, before she just shook her head and stood up. Hiro stood up as well, dusting off his shoulders and stretching. "Well, I feel more refreshed...but not as much as before. I wonder why."

Kyoko picked up her shades, putting them back on. "That's because you never really got hurt in that battle, so the Media never really did anything for you," she explained, straightening out her vest.

Hiro understood what she meant by that, for it took full effect when he was injured by his Shadow self. He was about to say more when Kyoko simply brushed past him. "Come on, we still have to keep looking for clues before it gets too late to," she said.

Hiro turned to look at her, feeling slightly hurt that she never thanked him for using Media on her when she was injured, or for even acknowledging how this was technically his first start to battling Shadows. _Guessing that because I'm still a 'rookie' that I'm not get any praise yet until I can prove I'm not, _he thought bleakly.

Hiro was so engrossed in his thoughts that he was startled when a finger poked his forehead. He gave Kyoko a befuddled, quizzical look of why she did that, until she took her hand off his forehead and pointed towards the door again. "We should check that room where those Shadows appeared from in case it has anything important."

Hiro sweatdropped, taken off-guard. "Uhhh...sure!"

The two walked back over to the door, standing in front of it hesitantly. Hiro was about to step in first as his hand outstretched back to the doorknob slowly, but Kyoko grabbed it and opened the door fully. "I thought it was ladies first according to the gentlemen's code," she remarked.

Hiro sweatdropped again. "But I wanted to make sure you wouldn't get hurt again if you were the first to walk in out of the both of us..." he tried to explain.

Kyoko just shot him a glare, making Hiro shut up. As they entered the room, their hopes were dashed in complete surprise to see that most of the room was just as blurry and pixellated as the hallway. A small, dim light emitted from the windows, but there was no colour in the room whatsoever: just white space and a greyed bed. There appeared to be a framed photo resting on the windowsill. Hiro and Kyoko exchanged glances, before they nodded and began to look around the room carefully for any traces of clues.

As Hiro walked towards the window, his foot stepped on something again. Whatever it was, it caused him to trip and smack against the wall near the window, knocking down an object resting on it. Wincing, he regained his balance right away, ignoring the glare he knew Kyoko was giving him. He picked up the now cracked photo that was accidently knocked over from his carelessness and inability to see properly in the dark. Hiro moved closer to the window, squinting at the picture.

It lacked colour, just as the rest of the room did. Three girls were together in a group shot, giving a peace sign with their hands. But there was one girl's face that had been blurred, making the photo seem worn out in time, or even Photoshopped well. "Nakamura-_chan, _this picture is showing one girl's face being blurred out," Hiro spoke up.

"Hiro, that is not the only one blurred out."

Hiro wasn't sure what she meant by that. Before he could ask and find out the easy way, he found out the hard way just as she tossed a _freaking book_ at his stomach without warning, making him drop the picture frame back to the ground. A little bit winded by the impact but not knocked down (for she supposedly threw it "light"), Hiro coughed and held the book properly.

It was actually a photo album. Hiro began to look at the pages and noticed in every picture he came across, there was a person's face blurred. _Why is there one person's face being hidden?_ Hiro wondered.

"Hiro, that's it for today," Kyoko announced. She turned towards him as he looked up from the album. "We can't really go another way with no real clues, so we'll wrap it up."

This surprised Hiro, who looked at her wondering if she was serious about this. Then he reconsidered what she said – all that they found were the photos, and even those proved useless. Kyoko was right – they had no clues leading to who the victim was. "Okay, guess you're right," Hiro agreed, closing the album.

Kyoko nodded. "Good. We'll search tomorrow as well to see if by any chance this area will be clearer."

Hiro nodded back. He placed the album back down on the bed and turned around to follow Kyoko out of the room, closing the door behind him as they walked out. The two of them began to walk further away from the door until their footsteps could no longer be heard.

Behind that door inside the room, a pair of eyes suddenly glowed, and a voice chuckled. "Those dumbasses. Can't even keep quiet in this domain. What's even ruder is this mess they left."

The shadowy figure the voice and eyes hailed from began to walk towards the window, revealing the masked Blitzkrieg. "They were lucky that I was not here early enough in order to kill them," he muttered. "If I was, I would have slashed his throat and..."

The man walked over to where Hiro had placed the album, and picked it up. Blitzkrieg picked it up. "They thought no one was around, but I was," he continued to himself. "For their ignorance I should have just killed the guy and just played around roughly with that damn girl, but that means all my fun would be gone and the boss would dislike me for destroying his toys..."

The album was dropped back onto the bed. Blitzkrieg walked towards the framed photo that still laid on the ground. He slowly picked it up and clicked his tongue. "Oh, hell to it all, look at these three bitches," he sighed. "Look at them showing off that typical peace gesture, being all happy, but all of that came to end on the day two of them died, and the other carried a burden of sorrow." He chuckled. "Oh, how I loved to hear the silence of a woman. That indicates the means of happiness...well, for me, at least."

The masked host of The Wake of Dawn placed the photo back on the windowsill and began to walk towards the bed again. He picked it up again and opened it this time. "Oh and oh, how this emotional girl could even put up the act of giving a smile, but underneath it all, the guilt is still eating her up as of today," he smirked, leafing through every page. "Everyone believes her act, but they're all idiots. Not me, though; I'm the most genius person alive, and now it seems that an incident of this year is leading her back to the memory she tries so hard to lock away."

The book was closed, and this time Blitzkrieg put it gently back where it was originally found – under the bed. He swiftly pulled out his gun and twirled it on his index. "Oh, how blood is a beautiful thing, it's the most important thing in life, oh, how I wish to drink it from a person who broke my trust and ruined my life," he hummed, before he chuckled darkly. "Oh, how that broken trust will lead to her demise and her strife."

His chuckling rose to his casual, malevolent laughter, before the light from the window completely faded away and cast the room in complete darkness.

* * *

_**To Be Continued**_

_Remember to review our work and please give us your honest opinion of how story is going, what we could improve, that kind of stuff. We thank you for that and see you nice time for our next chapter!_


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